Changes Sequel III: War and Epilogue
by Dark Phoenix Rising
Summary: The last battle is fought, Apocalypse destroyed but so are the X-Men, their allies and earth. Has Jean's last sacrifice brought changes that no one knows of? And what surprises does the future hold? (Summary for Epilogue! Not War!) UPDATE: EPILOGUE 13 is up! DECEMBER 13. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter!!! : )

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**I always wanted to write a flashback to the very first Changes and Logan's thoughts about the twins. **

**I'm sorry that it took so long to put this chapter up. I was quiet busy with university and stuff.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was a bitch to write.**

**Please let me know what you think!**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 1**

_They were small._

_At least to him… He could easily hold them in one hand, if necessary. _

_While he watched them sleeping on his huge bed, he tried to figure out what he thought about them. Sure there had been a time when he had thought about being in a situation like this, had asked himself if he could handle such a situation, if he wanted it… Every time he had watched people passing by he had wondered, if something like this would ever happen to him. Now it had. He hadn't been too happy about it first, he admitted that and he wasn't too happy still. The shock that they were here, in front of him, was still a big one. How was he supposed to handle this new situation anyway? His far too large hand reached carefully out to touch one of the way smaller ones. They seemed so fragile…and that they were his responsibility now scared him even the more…_

_There were too many questions bothering him, too many running around in his head. What if there were others? What if he had someone somewhere and they were worried? He couldn't remember… Maybe he had one before and something bad had happened? Or maybe that one was looking for him, waiting for him?_

_Only shaking his head and scolding himself for such sentimental thoughts, his eyes went back to them, still wondering how he was feeling about them… He somehow felt lost, helpless, alone, curious, sad…. Happy? Yes, maybe some part in him felt happy. He wasn't too sure. The whole circumstances were too new for him. Still, a smile became visible when he noticed the yawn and he chuckled. Yes, he felt definitely happy. His heart was bursting with joy and warmth, feelings that were foreign to him and when they appeared he liked to keep them to himself. Still, he couldn't figure out the most important thing about them…_

_He had an idea, two actually, but mistrustful as he was his mind immediately began to analyze why he had come up with those ideas, why them, why not something else? Were they a link to his past? Something or someone he knew? Sighing, he reached out and carefully stroked over the softness, took in the scent and hoped that she would be able to see them soon, too. Still, why had he come up with those names…? It didn't matter, he had made his choice and would stick to it. _

_When one of them yawned once more, he decided to let them sleep on the bed for tonight, got up to get an additional blanket and tucked them in. What else was he supposed to do?! After just frowning at them for a moment, he leant in to kiss their heads, figured that he must have done something right since he received little sighs and content faces in return. Smiling, he stroked over the soft shock of hairs once more, before he lay down on the opposite side, head propped up in one hand and eyes continuing to stare at them. _

_Even if he wasn't so sure how to interpret the warmth in his chest, he knew one thing he was completely sure about: they were his and would ever be his, they were his life and he would do anything do keep them safe, if anyone ever dared to hurt them, he would hunt those persons down and kill them, he would gladly and voluntarily die for them and it would definitely kill him to lose them. No matter what, he would rather rod in hell then let anything happen to them. Tiredly, he settled down and watched them sleeping for a good while, before he, too, drifted off, still wondering why the names Jack and Lily seemed to be so familiar to him…_

* * *

"This is disastrous…," the Cap said and shook his head. He stood on the top floor of Stark Tower, arms crossed and watched how his team was on high alert, Pepper running around with a phone attached to her ear, trying to get through to anyone, while the rest was more or less still in shock. He knew they had a bad feeling after leaving the battle scene but no one of them had ever expected that. His eyes looked at the clock nervously. It was nearly 0:10 a.m., they were tired but mostly scared. Everyone in the room was aware of the fact that it was just a matter of time before their tower was the next target. He recalled the broadcast that had been aired exactly at midnight and was well aware of what it meant for them…

_The screen had been black first but sprang to life next. In front of the camera was a man, at least he had human features, flanked by Sinister, Trask and a feral looking man, Wildchild as they guessed. The dark and cruel man in the middle was wrapped into a majestic black coat, his dark, cold, red eyes staring right into the camera, sending chills down ones spine. Apocalypse, very much alive and sitting in the oval office._

"_My fellow homo-superiors," his deep voice roared and behind him Sinister smirked. "Today is January 1 2018, the day of the beginning of my reign, the end of the United States of America and the beginning of Utopia," he announced self-assured. "From now on, there will be only my law, no more constitution, no more human rights. No more humans! Those who do not yield to me will face extinction and those mutants that refuse to obey will face things worse than hell itself. It's for you to choose which side you are on. The side of the past or the side of the powerful future," he went on and paused for a moment. "And don't be mistaken. There will be no escape! No matter where you are hiding, we will find you. Anyone who dares to hide humans or mutants lower than level 3 will face death with no exception. In my state there will be no weakness, in my state there is no room for abominations like sick, disabled or homosexual scum! Every one who sides with this trash, will be treated as their equals! Don't try to run, my fellow Utopians, the authorities are under my command and have the order to shoot scum at sight. As I said, the decision is yours! Just accept the change that has finally come and serve your new master! Fortissimus quisque tantum superset!" _

_The screen had changed and Trask was now shown, in the background the burning remains of the X-mansion displayed on a screen. "As you can see here," the man said and pointed at the scene behind him, "the authorities have already reacted to an Anti-Apocalypse group that has been hiding under the command of Charles Xavier. The new government condemns every group that does not serve the true and holy purpose that is to serve the new master! Therefore, the new law of the state forbids groups of every kind, except those that are founded to serve the ultimate goal, which is the paradise of our master. All mutants above level 3 are therefore bound to report Anti-Apocalypse groups, no matter of what kind!" On the screen appeared a list with names of mutants that were labeled as traitors, enemies of the state and fugitives. "This list here shows you the most wanted enemies of the state. There will be a reward for capture, no matter alive or dead. The reward will be higher for bringing them in alive. The master will be very pleased with you, my fellow Utopians. Fortissimus quisque tantum superset!" he finished and the screen reverted back to the lists of fugitives, which had the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Avengers at the very top._

"We have to evacuate!" the Cap said and looked up, his face clearly worried.

"I know, I know!" Tony said from his far right and was occupied with gathering everything that he considered important. "But this is not as easy as it looks, Steve."

"We have a jet…," Parker shrugged and gave his wife and son a worried look. "Seriously, man, I wanna get out of here and that soon! Who knows when these goons of the MRD will appear here…"

"Agreed…," Bucky nodded. He and Hawkeye stood in front of the computer that showed what the surveillance cameras detected inside and outside the building. "It's only a matter of minutes…"

"We can't leave before Reed and his team is here," Tony said grimly. "They are still looking for Johnny, Elektra and Mat. We are not leaving before they are here!"

The Cap sighed, lowered his head while shaking it. They were in a dangerous situation, he knew that. But he also knew that they had to wait for their friends and couldn't leave them behind. Not in a situation like this. It was more import than ever that they stood by each others sides.

"Okay, listen up," the Cap said after a moment. "As soon as Reed's team is here we'll pack up and evacuate. I want you to already start gathering the most necessary things, like food, equipment, clothing. Everything that we don't need, stays here! Split into groups and start packing." He nodded when some of his team members got up and began working on the task. He began to help Tony with the equipment, packed everything they considered important into the jet and watched how the rest of the team did the same with food, medical equipment and clothing. He sighed and shook his head. If he was honest to himself, he didn't even know where they would go from here…

"Cap, Reed's here," Clint announced behind him and Steven excused himself.

"What's the plan?" Reed asked and cam to a halt next to him. He extended his arms to put their bags into the jet and retracted them again; his wife, her brother and the Thing standing next to him, looking as alerted as the others.

"We'll evacuate," Cap told him and received a nod. "I don't know to where but…" He shrugged. "As long as we'll get out of here, I couldn't care less anyway. It's only a matter of time before we're their next target…"

"Can we help somehow?" Sue asked, since everyone around them was running around.

"Not really. Did you find Matt and the others?" Cap asked and she nodded.

"Matt and Elektra arrived with us. But there's no trace of Johnny," she told him and he sighed. "As far as we know he hasn't been seen for a good while…"

"We can't wait then…," Cap muttered and made room for Tony and Clint when the two men brought one of Stark's suits on board. "Are we nearly done?"

"Think so. We made back up of the data, got food, some notebooks, technical equipment, clothing, meds, a spare suit and destroyed the computers here," Tony told him and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Matt and Elektra are here, too. I'll change into a suit to give the jet cover, you get the hell out of here. Now!" he ordered and jogged out of the room, pressing the alarm button on his way out. The sirens began to roar and filled every floor with loud noise, Jarvis voice telling them to go to the emergency exits.

"You heard Tony!" Cap barked when his teammates entered the hangar. "Everyone takes his seat and buckles up. Bucky and I will pilot the jet. Hurry up!" He waited for the last person to enter the jet before he went for the pilot's seat, the hatch closing behind him; Bucky had already started the engines, the alarm on the outside not as loud anymore as before. "We need to fly over to the X-mansion and see if they need help," Cap said while the jet rose slowly into the air. "The few survivors will still fit into our jet. We need to stick together now."

"You copy?" Tony's voice could be heard through the speaker.

"Loud and clear," Cap replied. "Next stop X-mansion."

"Roger that… That is if we can make it before the ten Sentinels that are zooming in on the tower…"

"Damn it," Bucky cursed and reached out to activate the radar. "Sentinels coming in from the north. We should make it before they reach us."

"Yeah, but can we make before they'll _notice_ us?!" Parker asked and held his son close.

"My God…," Cap gasped as they finally got a good view on the city. Most buildings were burning, destruction and smoke everywhere, there was no moon and no stars, only darkness and death. It reminded him of a giant battlefield. On their right was Iron Man hovering in the air and instructing them to get the hell away from the tower. He flew ahead and led the way towards the X-mansion. They had barely been out of sight when a giant explosion shattered the earth, followed by a huge cloud of fire and dusk. It took only mere seconds for Stark Tower like collapse like a house made of cards.

* * *

The air was freezing cold while the sky was black. There were no stars, no moon… Just the never ending darkness above him, the same that he felt within. Far underneath him the streets were empty, only few people were running around, trying to escape their ultimate fate. From afar he could hear the shouts and screams of some that hadn't been fast enough. Gunshots echoed through the streets like cars during rush hour, the smell of fire, blood and corpses seemed to be everywhere. Still, he couldn't care less, he didn't care at all. He could jump down from this building or throw himself in front of a train at full speed. It was just physical pain he'd feel, inside he was already dead…

While his eyes stared down the long way of nothingness that lay underneath him, his right hand absently traced the two rings on his left ring finger. To him life didn't matter anymore, it had lost its reason completely, for him all that was left were decades of loneliness and solitude, things that he didn't want anymore, that he couldn't endure anymore. He wanted his family back and to be happy again, wanted to hear the, feel them, had enough of the life he had before them. If he wasn't able to get his old life back, he'd rather have no life at all. To him nothing made sense or was worth living for anymore without her and his children in his life. This life wasn't worth living anymore anyway with all the death and destruction surrounding them. Maybe they would live through a day, maybe a week but in the end the same fate would await them anyway.

His eyes left the rings for a moment to look back down. The building had 93 stories, it would be a helluva long fall…

"Logan?" a voice tore him out of his meditative state and he was suddenly back at the boathouse, sitting on the ground and still staring at the dark lake in front of him. The air still stank of burned wood, stone and flesh, death everywhere, smoke still lingering in the air around him. "Hey!" the voice said more demanding and a hand touched him. But he didn't feel it. He didn't feel anything besides the empty hole within that made his heart ache. Whoever it was, he wasn't alone. Four pairs of hands pulled him up and dragged him away from the boathouse, the place where he could still see _her_ lying on the ground only covered by a blanket, her eyes shining and her smile directed only at him. He wished he stood at the very top of Stark Tower now and could jump. At least he would feel a pain different from the torturous one he had to endure now…

"You found him?!" Hank asked, clearly relieved.

"Boathouse, as you said it," Parker said and let go of Logan's right arm, while Clint was still holding on to the left. "Man, this place is a mess…" He could only shake his head as he looked at the former proud mansion, of which nothing was left except a burning mess of bricks and wood.

"Do you already know where you want to go?" Hank asked while leading the way over to the jet.

"No. We don't know a place that's big enough for all of us," Clint replied and gave him a nod that he would take Logan into the jet. He did so and dropped the man next to Scott and Remy, who both looked like a complete mess, had their legs pulled close and stared at the ground without realizing anything that was happening around them. "Stay here, okay?" Hawkeye told his friend and squeezed this one's shoulder reassuringly, before he joined Parker on the outside again.

"Tony said the sky's clear for now but we should get going," Spider-Man told him and received a nod. "Hank took care of the wounded. They are ready to go."

"Good."

They looked to the right where Hank helped Northstar up and told him to go over to the jet, then turned to attend to John, who was still looking at the burning remains with a dark and grim look on his face. "It's time to go…," he told the feral and put a hand on his shoulder. "We need to leave before they'll come back for us."

"As if that will change anything…," John grunted and followed him reluctantly. He didn't bother to squeeze in between Peter, who held Kitty close and tried to soothe her, and Bobby, who stared ahead with tears in his eyes and could only shake his head in shock. Instead he went directly over to his brother and wrapped an arm around him. He knew Logan didn't give a damn at all, still he wanted to spend some comfort; needed it himself. Not only was his partner missing, his daughter was too. Thinking about it, he felt an urge rising to find their enemies by himself and shred them.

"Who is the third leader of your team?" the Cap suddenly asked into the direction of the remaining X-Men, knew that Scott was the second and was in no shape to take over Logan's role.

Hank looked at the man. "Ororo was the third one, Jean the fourth… There is no one left."

Nodding in understanding, the Avenger cleared his throat. "Everyone on board?" Cap asked and turned to give them a look.

"Yes," Hank nodded sadly and was about to sit down next to a devastated Kurt when John suddenly leapt up and jogged out of the jet.

"What's the matter now?!" Cap asked, frowning.

"I don't know," the furry mutant shrugged and went after the man, thought the feral was about to go berserk as he saw him near the remains of the pond, pulling stones aside. "John? We need to…"

"Help me here!" John barked and, alerted by the urgency in the man's voice, Hank ran over and pushed and pulled on everything in their way.

"You hearing something?!" he asked, knowing that there had been a tunnel once, before the pond had been built upon it and the escape route had been re-directed. He had barely finished the sentence as he saw two yellow eyes that were too familiar. "TJ…," he smiled and pulled the crying girl out of the hole, heard a voice calling his name. "'Ro? Is that you?!" he asked aloud and helped John to pull some more stones out of the way, was even happier to see that it was not only his old friend and son, but also Narya and Anna that the could pull out.

"Oh my God…," the weather goddess cried out and clasped her hand over her mouth and the whole destruction was revealed to her for the first time. "No…," she whispered and began to cry. "God, no…"

"'Ro, is there anyone else?" Hank asked hopefully, since the feral was occupied in crushing an equally devastated Narya and his daughter to his chest. His face fell when the woman shook his head. "Okay, listen… The Avengers evacuated, too, we'll leave in their jet. But we need to do this now!"

"We don't fit into their jet, Hank…," Ororo sobbed and pulled her son closer while she held TJ's hand. "Not all of…"

"'Ro…," he cut her off after reaching the jet again. "There's only a handful of us left…" While her eyes widened in shock, he beckoned her to enter the jet, waited for John and his family to do the same before he closed the hatch.

"Daddy!" TJ cried and jumped into her surprised father's arms, followed by Ororo, who hugged Kurt as firmly to her body as possible.

"I thought you vere…," he mumbled into the woman's neck and closed his eyes in relief, tears running down his cheeks. "Thank God…," he whispered into the crook of her neck.

Next to them James pulled Heather close and shook his head. "God, if you hadn't wanted to watch the fireworks from the harbor…," he began and heaved a deep breath. He first hadn't wanted to go, but he had known how much she had always wanted to watch fireworks above the New York skyline. So he had given in and they had been on their way, their foster son included, just to be surprised by screens turning black at midnight and Apocalypse announcing that he was now the Head of State. Their shock had even gotten worse as the destroyed mansion had been shown…

"I know…," Heather nodded and leant into him, watched their son sleeping on his father's chest. "I can't believe it's only the few of us…" Her eyes switched to Logan, who was absentmindedly turning the rings on his finger, while his eyes bored holes into the ground; Miloh sitting next to him, still licking his wounds.

"Does anyone of you know a place that's big enough for all of us?!" the Cap demanded to know, looked into the round and waited for an answer. He then turned his head to the left and looked at Logan, who still stared at the ground and hadn't even noticed that Northstar had sat down next to him, an arm around his shoulder and his head resting on the other one. "Damn… I have no clue where to go, if…" He looked up when Logan suddenly told him some coordinates. "What's there?" he asked after the computer told him it was a remote place up in the mountains in Canada.

"Yer not gonna there…," Creed growled and his eyes narrowed.

"It's big enough…," Logan grunted, eyes still on his rings, his voice monotone but tensed.

"Yer ain't goin' _there_, Jimmy!" Creed insisted and clenched his fists in fury. He was about to add something when his half-brother looked up, eyes dark and something visible in them that Victor couldn't remember he had ever seen. But whatever it was, it made his eyes widen a bit in surprise, the beast in him cringing.

"Yer decided t'stay with _my_ team," Logan growled, teeth bared and voice very low. He looked intimidating, even to his close friends. "So yer either gonna shut the fuck up now…or get the hell outta this jet! But I ain't gonna put up with yer shit, ya hear me?" Having said it, he lowered his gaze back on to his rings, eyes narrowed and muscles tensed. He neither cared about the stares he was given nor what the others thought about him now. They were well aware of the fact that he was a ticking time bomb in that state that was ready to explode. Hell, he wouldn't even care, if a blast hit the jet in the next second…

"Well…," Cap said and turned back to the front. "Then we'll head there… Wherever that is…"

"Do you know where we're going?" Narya whispered, looked up from John's chest to read his face.

"I think I can guess where we're heading…," he grunted and she knew he didn't like it at all. "To a place I had hoped I'd never see again…"

* * *

While he sat on his throne and watched the several screens in front of him, a door at the end of the dark corridor opened and someone entered. It didn't take long for a pale face to appear, red eyes almost shining in the dim light. "News?"

"Stark Tower was destroyed, master," Sinister informed him and crossed his arms. "MRD is currently hunting down mutants lower than level 2."

"Survivors?" Apocalypse asked bored.

"There is no way that anyone could have survived it. The attack happened too fast and nothing remained of Stark tower besides a pile of dust. The Sentinels made sure of it."

"I hope so, Sinister…," his opposite replied and got up to look out of the window. He took in the burning city and smiled in sheer satisfaction. His namesake had come, the capital was his and he was constantly expanding his reign. Their plan had worked out well thanks to the help they had, even if it wasn't voluntarily. "What about Xavier's Men…?" he grunted and crossed his arms, his eyes watching the smoke and fire dancing on the outside.

"The Sentinels made a raid on the remains of the mansion. Our first attack was a massive hit, there were no survivors, master," Sinister replied and joined his side. "They are currently scanning the area around the mansion."

"They're already gone…," a deep voice in the shadows said and Sinister looked aside, annoyance visible on his face. "My son ain't stupid… He brought'em t'safety somewhere," Romulus grunted and joined Apocalypse on the right, smirking at Sinister. He loved to get a rise out of the man.

"Where would he go?" Apocalypse asked, eyes still on the death and destruction.

"I don't know. Xavier probably has many hideouts," Sinister replied and was met with a glare.

"Then you'll better find them quickly."

"Yes, master," Sinister said and bowed, retreated in the next moment.

Apocalypse waited until Romulus had left, too, before he turned and looked at the shadow behind his throne. His personal protector and rider. "I'm sure Wolverine brought them far away. They should still be on the run. I want you to go looking for them and report back to me," he ordered, received a nod before the sound of metal announced something extending and a lean, but muscular man jumped out of the triangular window next. "There is no place for you to hide, Wolverine… You can't run away from your fate," Apocalypse muttered and walked back to his throne to sit down on it; once more watching the screens that showed how his men hunted down humans and killed worthless mutants on their way, too. "Sooner or later you're back at my side…"

* * *

"I hate this place…," John said and tightened his grip on Narya's hand as she beckoned him to finally move. He could only look at the mansion, take in the house he had mostly bad memories from and didn't want to go anywhere near it. He thought he could still see the carriage in which he had been brought away; the first but not last shameful memory of the family. A sniff was enough and he could tell that Logan and Victor felt the same; the latter close to go into a berserker rage the nearer he got to the mansion.

"Daddy?" Anna asked, freezing in the cold wind and snow and sought warmth in his arms.

"Yeah," he replied and forced himself to move, his heart thundering in his chest.

"What is this place?!" Bucky asked Cap, who could only shrug but caught a brief glance at a rusty shield next to the old gate.

His eyes widened a bit in surprise but he kept silent and chose to follow Logan, who led the way in silence. He was well aware of the fact that his old friend was in no mood or shape to talk or answer questions. His blue eyes caught the sight of Creed, who had stopped not far from a small wooden cabin that stood close to an old tree on the estate and was glaring at it. The way the air turned white in front of his mouth and nose proved that his breaths were coming heavy and fast. He wondered why…

"Victor?" Logan called and waited for a reaction but there was none. He sighed and walked over to where Creed was standing. He knew why the feral was close to go into a berserker rage, shared the same memories but then again not the same. He could only guess what Creed had suffered under his abusive father as a child, remembered how often the boy had appeared with bruises on his face and shrieked away when the man had appeared. He hated the place, too, but in the end it was the only place he could come up with. "I know ya hate it…," he began and wanted to reach out but was suddenly grabbed and slammed against the wooden wall.

"Ya don't know shit!" Creed snarled, rage behind his hazel eyes and teeth bared. His whole body seemed to be shaking.

Behind him some of the others had begun to move, but stopped when Logan raised his hand. "It's the only place big enough for of us," Logan replied and grabbed the wrists of his brother, whose sharp nails were digging into his skin. "We'll stay here for a couple of days, then move somewhere else. I hate it, too, damn it!"

"Do ya?" Victor growled and bared his fangs. "Ya had a nice, cozy bed, ya were sleepin' in the warm'n got everythin' shoved up yer rich ass, Jimmy!"

"Yeah? 'n ya think I liked it?!" Logan challenged him and twisted the wrists to free himself from the iron grip. "I fuckin' hate this place, okay? I HATE it!" he barked and turned to head back to the front door.

"Then why did ya pick this fuckin' place?!" Creed barked back and followed him, wanted to beat the younger feral to a pulp. "Jimmy!" he added furiously and made an angry step forward but found his way blocked my Colossus in his steel form. "Get the fuck outta my way!"

Also angered and in more than a bad mood, Logan slammed the huge front door open and went inside. His senses made a quick scan of the surroundings, sniffed but could only pick up on dust and the smell of a very old house. "Clear," he grunted and went deeper inside, braced himself for stupid questions that he didn't want to hear. His mind was thinking about something else, didn't want to think about what had happened here or get anywhere near _that_ spot. He looked briefly aside to watch how John gave the interior an indefinable look, could only guess how the man felt at the moment. He then bent down to pick Miloh up again, who had limped his way inside.

"Hasn't changed one bit…," his brother grunted and placed his daughter on the ground to go over to a wall. He tilted his head to look at the old pictures and reached out to brush the thick dust away. A snort escaped his lips. "Well, except that my pictures are gone… What a surprise…" He then noticed the huge family portrait on the wall to his right, close to the huge staircase and went over to look at it. "I'd expected my face to be erased…," he mumbled to himself and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the face of his mother. He still wondered if his father had known… To him the happy smiles on her and his father's lips were like a slap into the face. Hers was faked. No doubt about it…

"Now seriously… What is this place?!" Bucky asked after he had taken a long look around. It was no secret to him that whoever had lived here must have been more than rich. "That place is huge…"

"Our parents' house…," John grunted and ignored the surprised looks. "Don't mention it. We hate this place…"

"Well…," Tony nodded and crossed his arms. He took a look around. "It's huge and….cold."

"What now?" Cap asked into the round, looked from Creed, who looked around the interior with a death glare to Logan, who had his back turned to them. The group was tired and exhausted. "I say we sleep. Everyone's pretty much done. There's time for talking and planning tomorrow."

"Room's are upstairs…," Logan grunted and went that way, carrying Miloh, without bothering to give them another look. The only thing they could hear was a door being shut.

Narya sighed and reached out to touch John's shoulder. "We need blankets. It's too cold without any."

He nodded and ran a hand through his messy dark hair. "I don't know if there are still any left…," he told her. "Follow me. I show you to the rooms. Just be careful with the staircase. It's over a hundred years old," he warned them and led the way. He went up the stairs and stopped here and there when his memories began to overwhelm him. He could see himself playing in the halls, spying on his mother when she took his brother for a walk. She had always hated it when he had wanted to play with James or go for a walk with the boy himself. He saw his grandfather chastising him for not being the man he wanted him to be, someone worth to inherit the money, worth of being a Howlett, heard his father explaining to him what his future work would look like, how he needed to learn in order to lead the estate. He had felt trapped in a golden cage…

When he reached a room that he remembered was used as a storage room, he went inside. "There are some. But they are dusty."

"Man, I don't care as long as I can sleep…," Peter Parker said tiredly, his son sleeping against his shoulder and went inside.

"We can clean everything tomorrow," Ororo suggested sleepily.

"Some of the rooms might still have covers on the bed," John guessed. "I can't tell…" He showed them the rooms and guest rooms, stopped when he heard Ororo addressing Scott and Remy.

"Do you want to stay with us?" she asked them, sympathy echoing in her voice but both men shook their heads in silence. Bobby had joined Kitty and Piotr and gone to one room, whereas the Avengers mostly stuck together, same went for the Fantastic Four. "Okay…" She nodded and joined Kurt to head for another free room.

"Remy stays with Scott, if dat's okay…," Remy muttered and received a silent nod from the man with the glasses. He took two blankets and retreated, too.

"What about you?" Narya asked Jean-Paul, who was leaning against the wall and staring at the ground. He looked up as if he had been deeply in thoughts and gave her a wary look. "You can stay with us. In that way you're not alone…"

"I'll sleep on the couch," the speedster said and thanked John for the blanket.

"Are you sure?" Heather asked him and received a weak nod. She watched him walking down the stairs again, didn't like it that he chose to stay alone. It wasn't like him at all. "Damn, this day is unbelievable…," she sighed and ran her hands over her face.

"No kidding…," James replied and wrapped an arm around her. "Another free room?"

"Next to Logan…," John nodded down the hall and led the way.

"He shouldn't be alone either…," Heather whispered and gave the door a sad look. "I mean…he's crushed. You could see that in his eyes…"

"Who wouldn't be in his situation… I mean his whole family…" James shook his head and closed the door behind him. "From all of us Remy, Hank, Scott, Paul and Logan got it the hardest way. Same goes for Bobby… They lost everything."

"Logan can hear you…," John said and did his best to clean the dusty bed. He looked at the size of it. "The girls can have it. I'll sleep on the ground," he decided and began to make a makeshift bed for himself.

"Nah, that will fit," James waved off. "We'll sleep horizontally next to each other."

"Actually…," Narya said after tucking the sleeping Anna and Taylor in, "I'd rather join Paul. I mean he's all alone downstairs and grieving… You could tell that by the look in his eyes." She gave John an insecure look. "Would you mind?"

He shook his head and gave her a loving kiss. "No, just go."

"Thanks," she smiled and embraced him for a long moment. "Good night."

Upstairs the Avengers had put three mattresses next to each other and made a huge makeshift bed for themselves. While Parker watched his son sleeping next to MJ for a moment, Cap and Clint looked out of the windows to make sure no one had followed them. Bucky chose to stay awake in case someone would attack them. "Well… Look at this," Tony suddenly said and held a framed picture up. "I'd say that is Mama Wolverine." He turned the frame for a moment and very critically. "Doesn't look like him at all… More like John, don't you think?"

"I don't think this is important now. We've got to worry about more important things," Cap said in a serious voice and turned his back toward the window. He heard Tony sigh and watched him putting the frame away.

"Look," the man said, also serious, "they got our asses, it's done, we didn't reckon with it. But we can't change it anymore. We have to move forward and think about a way to clean that mess up! Hell, we have a psychopath as a president!" Tony added and thought about the last sentence. "Well… Thinking about it, it's not the first time but I'd say that guy is worse…"

"Logan doesn't care much about it now…," Clint said dryly and tried to get comfortable on the mattress; especially squeezed in between two guys.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Tony asked angered. "Still we have to find a way or the whole world will go to hell."

"Tomorrow," Cap replied sleepily and ran a hand over his face. "Or later today, however you want to put it." He lay down next to Bucky and tried to understand what had actually happened today. In the end he was too tired and just wanted to sleep. "Tony… Switch off the flashlight, please…"

"Ehm…," the Avenger replied and looked at his personal misery.

"What?" Parker asked in a hushed voice, he, too, tired. "What's the problem?!"

"Nothing… Just that my assistant is sleeping there and the only free spot is next to her," Tony replied sarcastically and received a groan from nearly his whole team.

"Just switch off that lamp and lie down!" Clint demanded and pulled his blanket closer.

"Drastic times call for drastic measures…," Bucky mumbled and yawned. "Lie down!"

"Hey, she can sue me for sexual harassment!" Tony feigned shock and lay down as far away from Pepper as he could, his heart pounding in his chest.

"If that was the case, she would have already done it," Cap said and closed his eyes.

"More than once!" Parker added.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" Tony grumbled and put the lamp next to him. "Damn, it's cold in here…"

"Then cuddle up to her," Clint groaned.

"His wet dream coming true…," Parker snickered and received a slap to the shoulder from MJ.

"Ssh!" she demanded and pulled their son closer to spend more warmth. "Sleep now. All of you!"

"Yes, ma'am…," Peter whispered and lay still.

The room was silent for a while before a door on the corridor went slowly shut.

In the room John raised his head in the dark and watched how Narya tip toed closer. "To the right," he whispered and reached out to touch her hand. He pulled her down next to him with a slightly confused look on his face. "What's the matter?"

"He wants to be alone," she told him in a hushed voice and cuddled up to seek warmth.

"How is he?" Heather whispered behind her, still awake.

"Sad and very upset," the blonde replied. "He misses him…"

"I thought so…," the redhead nodded in the dark and sighed. She had already drifted off to sleep as in the next room something shattered against the wall.

Panting, Logan watched how the remains of an old vase shattered into pieces and fell to the ground. He then went on to pace like a caged tiger, his mind too occupied to find rest, his body refusing to give in to the exhaustion. He needed to destroy something to keep his dark side from bursting out into the light to do what it wanted to do – to track down those responsible for _their_ deaths and kill them. He wanted them to suffer and beg him and for them to bleed out and him the last for them to see. He longed for their blood on his hands. Longed to shred them into pieces and cut through every tiny piece of their body. He wanted them dead, no matter how many he had to kill, he wanted to kill every single one of them. Heaving deep and uncontrolled breaths, he stopped at the window and looked out. The moon was visible here and he wanted to howl out in pain, to run into the wood and never stop running, wanted to run until his lungs and muscles ached and he couldn't go any further. Damn, he wished he could just end it and join his family again, didn't care about the how as long as he was with them and not so goddamn lonely. He wanted the pain to go away, to hear his children laugh, to smell his wife's scent and to hold her and his babies again.

Sobbing, he slumped to the ground and slammed his fist into the first object he could reach, shattered it, watched few pieces of blood drop to the ground and despised how his healing factor cheated on him again. He could slash his throat or wrists as often as he wanted to, he would just heal and if he managed to die, he would wake up sooner or later again anyway. Why couldn't he just die and join them, why not just jump from the highest point of the mountains and die like everyone else? He had told her his luck was lasting too long already, that he'd been happy for too long. He was cursed since he was born, had always death following him everywhere and wished he had rather watched her from afar than giving in to temptation and be with her as he had longed for. In that way she wouldn't have left him and died.

He buried his shaking hands in his hair and tried to heave deep breaths I order to calm himself. She had told him that she had a bad feeling, that something was coming up. Why hadn't he listened to her? What if they had suffered and suffocated or been impaled and slowly bled to death? What if the fire had burned them alive and they had screamed for him or someone to help them?! What if they had still been alive somewhere under the remains and he hadn't been able to pick up on them? What if they were slowly dying and he wasn't there to help them?

He looked up with tears still streaming down his face as a wet snout nuzzled him from aside and realized that Miloh must have jumped off the bed and limped over to him. The wolf let out a whine and nuzzled him again, as if to say that he, too, had lost his family but that they were still together and a pack, that they were suffering the same fate but still had each other to keep each other company. Swallowing hard, Logan pulled the wolf closer and hugged him, sniffed into the fur and longed for his family more than anything else. He would give anything he had to be with them, his eyesight, his limbs, his heart, his life, he didn't care as long as they were safe and breathing. He would leave them and live the most miserable life possible, as long as they were alive… With his mind and heart racing, he closed his eyes and leant into his wolf, tried to tire himself out somehow to stop thinking. He wanted to stop feeling anything, just for mere seconds…

When Miloh suddenly looked up and growled he turned his head to the door and heard it being opened. A lamp shined over to the empty bed, then at the destruction he had left before it blinded him. Warily, he looked away. The door went shut and someone came closer. He was grateful it wasn't Creed or his brother or anyone of the others. He wouldn't be able to cope with their bullshit or sympathy, when they didn't understand shit about how he felt inside. What it felt like to lose your past, present and future at the same time… _He_ understood. In the end, he was in the same situation he was in. Logan didn't say anything when the man slumped down next to him and looked at him warily from aside. He didn't need to. Instead, he reached out and pulled him closer with one arm to let him cry on his shoulder and stared at the ground again; the wolf still in his other arm.

"Why didn't I tell him?" he heard Jean-Paul sniffing into his neck and pulled him closer. "He tried so hard and I kept on pushing him away because I was too afraid to get hurt again…," he went on crying and shook his head, despising himself. "And then I told him it meant nothing on Christmas… God, I hate myself…"

"He knew he meant somethin' t'ya, otherwise he wouldn't have stuck t'ya…," Logan mumbled in a monotone voice and watched Miloh lying down and resting his head on his leg. "Paul, yer exhausted. Go 'n lie down."

"I tried. I can't sleep without him next to me…," Northstar sniffed and ran both hands over his face. He then looked at Logan, whose face was barely illuminated by the moon. It hurt him to see his friend like that. "I know you don't want company… But you shouldn't be…"

"I can cope with you bein' here…," Logan grunted and his eyes were back on the rings on his finger.

"Okay…," the man next to him nodded and reached out to wrap the blanket around both of them. He then settled back against the feral's shoulder, a tear running down his face. Even if he refused to do so, exhaustion won over and he fell asleep in the end…

* * *

"We were waiting for your return and had everything prepared for the fireworks. Some of the children had already gone to bed. Then Miloh, Callie and their cubs had suddenly begun to behave weird, as if they were sensing something," Ororo told the group on the next day and kept her eyes on the mug with water in front of her. "Jean had suddenly been restless, too. I had gone over to her when she had suddenly told us to go pack the most necessary things, get the children and meet her downstairs. I think she sensed the attack…" She paused to drink a bit. "I had gone to get TJ and Tommy. On my way to the elevator I had run into Narya and Anna. Since the elevator was too far away, I told Jean mentally that I would use another way out and meet her there. We had barely been underground when Jean told us mentally to brace ourselves… The earth had shaken heavily and we heard a huge explosion but…" She shook her head and looked up with tears in her eyes. "I would have never reckoned with the mansion being destroyed… While we were trapped I tried to reach Jean mentally but there was no reply…"

"I see…," Hank nodded and turned his head to look back at the old table they were sitting at. The sun had already been up when they had woken and it was still unbearably cold inside the house. "Have you… Were Moira and Nick with Jean?" he managed to ask after a moment and braced himself for the reply.

"Yes," Ororo nodded. "When we scattered out of the ball room she said she would get Nick and medical equipment. Raven wanted to get Alex and Daken had told Jean he'd get Kazu, Ray and Jamie, since Jean had taken Kazu upstairs after he and Jamie had fallen asleep on the couch. Jubilee had gone with him to wake the students… Paul… I think he wanted to pack some clothes and join them downstairs…" She paused and tried to think about any details she had forgotten about. When she did remember one her eyes fell on Remy. "Marie…had headed to her room to get Jean-Luc…"

Hank's eyes fell on the Cajun, who had lowered his head even further after hearing it. "He hasn't been with her…," he said in barely more than a whisper and shook his head. As far as he remembered Rogue had been at a spot where one corridor of the mansion had been. He didn't have to imagine anything to know that their son couldn't have survived the attack and was probably buried somewhere underneath the remains. He tried to occupy his mind in order to not think about his wife or son. He needed to act as some sort of pillar for their broken team now.

"Has anyone seen Paul?!" Narya suddenly asked and stuck her head into the room, blue eyes scanning it for the man.

"He can't be gone," Heather tried to soothe her but noticed the scared look in her friend's eyes.

"As upset as he was at night…," the blonde began when a hand touched her shoulder.

"He's upstairs," John told her and went into the room, shivering due to the cold. "He has joined Logan and fallen asleep. He's still sleeping on the bed."

"Thank God!" Narya said clearly relieved and put a hand to her chest.

"We need to do something about the cold," Elektra changed the subject. "With those temperatures those without a healing factor will get sick."

"We can't start a fire," Matt replied next to her. "In case someone is looking for us, it will alarm them."

"That's why we have a genius on our team who is still asleep," Parker said and sighed. "Man, I'm starving…," he added and held his stomach when it began to growl. "How much food do we have?!"

"Not enough," Hank replied. "With the amount your team could save and rations for everyone… Maybe for two days…"

"Damn…," Parker cursed and looked at Cap, who could only shrug.

"It's winter. We won't find anything eatable outside…," the Avenger said and crossed his arms as Logan suddenly stomped past them, face grim and headed for the back door. "We're you going?"

"Huntin'," was the growled reply and the man opened the back door.

"You can't go alone, Logan!" Hank warned him but the door went already shut.

"He looks ten years older…," Elektra noticed sadly and reached out to take Matt's hand. "So what's the plan?"

"The plan is…that we don't have one," Cap replied and began to think. "We first need to do something against the cold, get food and enough to drink. Then we need to find a way to stay up to date to what happens in the States. We need teams that patrol at night because I'm sure they are looking for us." He remained silent and thought about anything else he might have forgotten about. "Most importantly we can't stay in one place for too long. We need to think about a place where they won't come looking for us, a place that we can use as a base and that will protect us. The place here is too old and too much in the open…"

"I agree," Parker nodded. "Especially about the first part because I'm freezing my butt off!" He pulled the blanket closer around him and his son. "Our jet has stealth. Can't we just live in there?!"

"If you want to kill the battery, then yes," Clint nodded and went over to the window to look outside. The snow was glistening and the sun high up in the blue sky. "Logan is leaving with Creed…"

"If someone can bring us food, it's them…," Cap said. "Someone should go upstairs and wake Tony. He wanted to think about a way to heat the rooms…"

"I'd rather say he has wet dreams…," Parker muttered and sipped on his water. "Thinking about it…it's worth seeing him being embarrassed for once. I'll wake him!" he volunteered determined and got up to leave the room.

"Why wet dreams?!" Matt asked, a frown visible on his face. He tapped the table to be able to see Cap's face.

"He's sleeping next to Pepper," the man replied and Matt nodded in understanding.

Upstairs a redhead slowly woke up and smiled first, then frowned as she felt something heavy on her waist and something else poking her into the thigh. She couldn't remember falling asleep in the jet or that she had lain down next to anything weird. As she opened her eyes and blinked against the light, her heart skipped a beat. The arm on her hip was clearly belonging to a male. Had she been drinking? The room she was in was unfamiliar, too, and there had clearly been people sleeping next to her. There was only one word that could explain what had happened and she widened her eyes in shock; an embarrassed blush becoming visible on her face. "An orgy…," she mumbled and was just beginning to wonder why she still wore clothes as the clearly male person behind her snorted and moved in his sleep. Her body went rigid, her heart began to race in fear and she didn't dare to look who that person was. She was sure Tony had something to do with that orgy… Somehow she suddenly felt like being watched. Her body became even more tensed when the male person behind her suddenly muttered something indefinable under his breath. It could have been "sweet" or "cute" or "whip" or "shit", she wasn't too sure about it.

"Pepper… I want you to stay calm and not to freak out!"

Now her heart was thundering on the fastest speed possible and her jaw dropped. "Tony?!" she squealed and instantly wanted to jump up and run out of the room. How embarrassing...

"Just…don't move and stay calm, okay?" Tony begged and withdrew his arm slowly, before he tried to detach his hip from hers without her noticing that…"

"What is this hard thing poking into my thigh, Tony?!" Pepper asked, eyes still wide in shock that she had not only slept next to her boss but had actually also cuddled with him. She wanted to die of embarrassment.

"That's…my shoe!" he quickly said and held his breath.

"What's your shoe doing in the bed?!" she asked and he closed his eyes.

"Good question. I will ask Jarvis to analyze it. How about you getting up and…getting out of the room so that I can get dressed?" he asked and tried to grab the pillow behind his back blindly.

"You're…?!" she began as she remembered something. "You are dressed, Tony…"

"Oh, really? Yeah, now that you're mentioning it, I can see it, too" he said, as much embarrassed as her and had finally managed to roll over and grabbed the pillow, as the door opened and Parker looked inside.

"Oh, you're finally awake. Good. We're freezing to death, so get started on a plan to heat those damn rooms!" he told Tony, who lay frozen on his back, eyes unusually widened and looked like a rabbit that was about to be run over by a car. Parker frowned and looked at Pepper's flushed cheeks, then again at Tony before his eyes lowered themselves to the blanket. "Oh…," he said and nodded with a grin on his lips. When he looked back at Tony's face again the man was giving him desperate signs, something between threats and begs, to keep his mouth shut. "Nice boner, Tony, I hope I wasn't interrupting something," Parker said and quickly duck out of the room.

Pepper's face was now completely flushed and she stared at the wall opposite of her. "Oh my God, this is so not happening…," she cried and pulled the blanket over her head.

"It's…the morning…," Tony tried to explain the embarrassing situation. "It has nothing to do with you or me or anything that might be going on between us, because clearly…there isn't. We agreed on that. It's…a normal male reaction to waking up next to a hot woman… I mean woman. Just woman because saying hot would indicate again that there's something between us, when there clearly isn't! So…"

"Tony?" her voice could be heard underneath the blanket and he stopped. "Would you just go, please…?"

"Yeah," he nodded quickly and was about to get up as he was reminded of the fact that he couldn't. "Actually, no… I can't go out like this…"

Pepper peeked up from underneath the blanket and gave him a brief look, then got quickly up. "Okay, I'll go. I'll go and won't look at anyone for the rest of my life," she breathed and went quickly out of the room.

"Shit!" she heard him cursing loudly as the door was already shut and she had reached the stairs.

* * *

The deer was slowly strolling through the wood on the search for food and water. It knew a small river was closed by and headed through the thick snow into that direction, eyes, nose and ears always checking the surroundings for any threats. Wolves loved to follow in the shadows on their search for food and it wanted to be prepared. Nevertheless, it didn't hear or see the two shadows following it, nor how they split behind it and stayed downwind. It wasn't before a branch that had been buried underneath the snow gave way to the weight of one of it followers. Startled, the deer turned around, nose picking up on the threat and it began to run.

"Dammit…," Creed growled and jumped after the animal, chased it on all fours, while his brother tried to run half a circle to attack their prey from aside. It was only due to a quick change in direction that Victor managed to grab one of the animal's legs and made it stumble; a move that gave Logan enough time to leap at it, claws out and ram the metal right into the deer's heart.

Emotionlessly, he watched how the lights went out in the animal's eyes and heard it taking its last breath. "Let's go…," he grunted and knelt down to pick their prey up and to carry it back.

"Yer careless," Creed growled displeased and wiped the snow from his duster. "It nearly escaped."

"We got it, so what?" Logan snapped and was roughly turned around by a large hand.

"We were lucky!" Victor snapped back and gave his younger brother a push. "If ya can't clear yer head, Jimmy, don't go huntin' 'n stay outta my way!" Angrily, he stomped back into the direction of the estate. "I don't get why we've t'go 'n get food fer'em anyway. I ain't a fuckin' delivery service."

Only glaring at the larger feral's back, Logan followed him in silence and dropped the dead deer as soon as they had reached the grounds again. Skillfully, he began to skin and prepare it, something he had done countless times in the past. Still the whole hunt hadn't cleared his mind one bit or kept him from thinking about his family. Like in trance he let his claws do the work on their food and thought about how he had returned from hunting on their honeymoon and she had already waited for him. It had felt so good to come back home, not to an empty cabin in which the only living thing was the fire in winter, but to someone expecting and waiting for him. Even with his friends here he felt so damn lonely…

"Are ya even listenin'?!" Creed suddenly growled next to him and Logan looked up, frowning.

"What?" he asked confused and received a glare.

"Forget it. Go on dreamin'," Victor spat and headed for the back entrance, where he nearly fell over Tony, who had teamed up with Reed to find a way to heat the rooms without using the stoves.

"Watch where you're walking!" the Avenger complained and remained kneeling on the ground.

"Watch where yer lyin'," Victor growled back and glared at him.

"Actually, I'm kneeling on the ground, not lying," Tony corrected him sarcastically and turned back to his work. "It should actually work if we found a cable long enough…," he said and Reed nodded.

"Do you think you can reproduce the arc reactor here? I mean…" He extended his arm a bit to point around the room. "We are not what I would call high-tec…"

As an answer Tony tilted his head and gave him his best _are-you-kidding-me_-look. "Do I really have to answer that? No, right? I managed to rebuild that thing in a remote cave somewhere in the desert with the shittiest equipment I've ever seen," he replied and got up. "So I'll be definitely able to rebuild it in a remote house, somewhere in the icy nowhere of Canada with the not so shitty equipment that I've brought with me."

"I hope you're right…," Reed said and packed their plans together.

"Hello, gorgeous," Tony greeted Ororo, who seemed to be looking for something. "May I help you?"

"Do we have a candle or something?" the woman asked and stopped roaming the cupboards.

"I would crack a joke under different circumstances," Tony said and scratched the back of his head. "I think we do have some. At least I'm sure I've seen MJ with a stack…"

"Thanks."

"What do you need them for? Is the battery of the flashlight empty already?" Reed asked but she shook her head, eyes downcast.

"No, we…," Ororo began and hugged herself. "Some of us decided that we…want to get together and do some kind of farewell session for our friends and family… Some of us need it. Especially Remy and Scott."

The two men nodded in understanding. "What about Logan?" Reed asked and extended his head to be able to look out of the window. "Oh, he's done…" When he looked back at her, she shook her head.

"He wouldn't even take part in it when his life depended on it," she replied. "He just…can't…"

After a long and uncomfortable moment of silence, Tony cleared his throat. "Well…, if I see MJ before you do, I'll let her know."

"Thanks, Tony," Ororo smiled sadly at him and left the room again.

Much later when it was already dark, the X-Men sat together, a candle burning in their middle and casting shadows at the dark walls. They stared at it in silence, some crying openly, some silently and tried to spend each other comfort. While Kurt held Ororo's hand and Piotr held Kitty close, Narya rested her head against John's shoulder and James had his arm wrapped around Heather. They knew they had been lucky, that they hadn't lost everything like their friends had. The more difficult it was for them to say something. In the end, no words could take away their pain. Hank heaved a deep breath and turned his gaze away from the candle and towards Bobby, Remy and Scott. Especially the older two men looked miserable beyond belief and years older in their sorrow. Compared to them, Bobby didn't know if his wife was still alive or not. They knew their partners and children weren't, that their future was gone and no one could return it. His eyes then fell on Jean-Paul, who was the same picture of misery. He, too, had lost two people that were close to him, how close exactly no one knew. In the end they had always denied him. But from what Hank could see in the man's eyes, the regret, the sorrow and the loss, he would vote for closer than anyone of them would have thought. He tried to keep his mind off his wife and child, wondered what Logan was doing, appreciated that the Avengers and Fantastic Four had joined them, but kept their distance. Something needed to be said. He just didn't know what…

"I think…," he began and was desperate to find the right words, "that despite how tragic it is…they would have wanted us to move on. It's hard and…painful…but not entirely impossible. It will take time, lots of time… But in the end life just goes on… It has to. And our friends wouldn't have wanted us to just give up…" He swallowed hard, exchanged a look with Ororo, who nodded and wiped her tears away. "They would have wanted us to find a way… A way to deal with it, with them…"

There was silence in the room until Scott snorted sarcastically and shook his head. "How? By being diplomatic?"

Hank frowned at the strange undertone in the man's voice. "Scott, we…"

"The X-Men do not kill, Hank. That's true. But the X-Men are dead," Scott said and looked up, his face grim and a mask of hidden agony. "This…is X-Force. And I'm done playing nice. They want a war, they can have it!" he added and got up to head back to his room upstairs, leaving some of his friends in confusion.

"What's X-Force?!" Kitty asked and didn't like the look on some of the men's faces. "Remy?!"

The Cajun looked up, eyes unusually dark even through tears. "A team," was all he said and her frown deepened.

"What team?" Piotr demanded to know since he was as confused as some of the others. "A strike team?!" he figured out on his own and was met with a cold look that spoke volume.

"That's insane!" Ororo said and sat up straight. "What do you intend to do?! Infiltrate the enemies' lines and kill them?"

"Per'aps," Remy shrugged and had enough. He, too, got up and was about to head upstairs next when Hank grabbed his wrist.

"Who came up with that idea? Logan?"

"Non, but 'e's part of it," the Cajun told him and pulled his arm free.

"I don't believe this. Are they insane?!" Kitty asked in shock and looked at her friends, tried to read their faces and find out what they thought. "A strike team. That's…crazy!"

"Is it?" Bobby asked and met her gaze. "They attacked us first, Kitty. They destroyed our home, they murdered our friends and family… What do you intend to do? Just sit here and wait for them to come? We need to be prepared!"

"Then we will prepare but not like this!" she disagreed. "We are no assassins, Bobby!"

He shrugged and got up, eyes hard. "We have assassins, don't we?" he said and left, too.

Only shaking his head, Hank leant back with a heavy sigh. "I do understand them…," he admitted and received shocked looks. "But I agree that their way is just wrong. We are no assassins…" His head jerked aside when he heard someone coming down the stairs and received a brief glare from Logan; one that told anyone not to dare and address him in any way, that he wanted to be left alone. Still Hank would have none of it. "What's this X-Force thing?" he demanded to know and received a brief shrug only. "You can't just go there and kill them all, my boy, even you can't do this!"

"Scott's idea, not mine," Logan growled and disappeared in the kitchen just to reappear with a bottle of water next.

"He said you're a part of it," Kitty said and she, too, received a shrug. "Logan…"

"Shut it 'n leave me alone!" he warned her and was about to go upstairs when Hank got into his way. He closed his eyes briefly to heave a deep breath, nostrils flaring.

"This is insane, Logan! We neither have the man power nor the resources to start a war against them," the furry mutant lectured him. "We already lost enough!"

"Oh, so ya think I don't know that?" Logan growled and his eyes were narrowed to slits. "Is that it? If ya intend t'stay in this shithole while the world goes t'hell, fine with me. But I don't intend t'do it."

"This is not about the world or about what is happening at the moment," Hank replied. "It's about revenge! Scott, Remy and you are simply out for revenge, Bobby, too. You are not seeing clear!" he tried to warn him and received a chuckle. He made a careful step back when Logan made one forward, the hairs on his neck standing up when he looked into the feral's eyes. They were dark and ice cold.

"I ain't seein' clear?" Logan grunted, muscles tensed. "My wife's dead, my children are dead, my home was destroyed… So where exactly ain't I seein' clear, hm?" he asked, tilting his head a bit. "They are gonna pay, no matter how long it'll take but I'll find any…single…one of 'em. 'n then, they'll go t'hell."

Breathing hard, Hank watched his friend turning around. "He killed you once, Logan… And without Jean…"

"Don't…say her name," Logan warned him through clenched teeth.

Hank paused for a moment. "Without _her _we don't stand a chance against Apocalypse…," he spoke out the truth that the survivors of their team thought but no one dared to say out loud. He watched how Logan turned his head to look back at him, then switched his eyes to the rest of the group, watched how the lowered their heads and avoided his gaze. They were waiting for the bomb to go off… "We need a leader, Logan," Hank tried to go for damage control. "We don't know what to do…"

"Yer doin' a bang up job," Logan shrugged and made another step on the stairs.

"But we need _our_ leader," he heard his friend saying almost pleadingly. "I'm not a leader and you know that… And to be quiet frank…" He shook his head, eyes looking tired. "I don't know what to do anymore…"

Logan looked at them warily for a moment before he lowered his gaze. "Me neither…," was all he said before he headed further upstairs and disappeared behind his room door.

Hank sighed and ran a hand over his face. He was exhausted; mentally as much as physically. He tried his best to keep the survivors together, to be strong for them but he, too, couldn't help but think about what he had lost, how much he missed them…

"What do you want him to do actually?" Jean-Paul suddenly asked him and Hank turned to look at the man, who had just wiped off his tears with the back of his hand and was still turning a bracelet in his hands, thoughtfully. "He just lost his whole family… Logan got other things on his mind than the team…"

"Still we need to know what to do…," Ororo replied and received a snort. "What?"

"You've got your own mind, Ororo. Figure something out," the Canadian said, voice unusually tired for him and kept his eyes on the silvery bracelet with the black onyx stones, fingers stroking over it. "Logan can't always be the rock in the storm… You can't always expect of him to be strong for you," he went on and made the others even more thoughtful with that statement.

Narya watched him from aside and frowned and the object in his hands, wondered where he got it from. "Since when do you wear jewelry?" she asked him out of interest and was surprised when he got wordlessly up to leave the room. "Did I say something wrong?!"

James nodded while holding Heather's hand. "He got it from Akihiro on Christmas since he didn't have any present for Paul…"

"Oh…," the blonde said and sank back into the couch. "Damn… I didn't know about it." She joined the silence and didn't look up when the Avengers and Fantastic Four excused themselves, went upstairs to go to bed. Everyone of them had their eyes on the still burning candle and thought about the friends they'd lost, thought about where they'd go from here, if they were facing a fight they could not win… "Excuse me," Narya suddenly said, let go of John's hand and went looking for her best friend. The thought that he was hardly talking and kept on staring off into space whenever she ran into him, bothered her. In the end he was her best and closest friend and the concern was great. After she had wandered around the mansion for a long while, she finally found him on the dark attic, sitting in a corner between old trunks and furniture, legs pulled close and the head, which wasn't turned into her direction, resting on the arms. She went slowly over to him and sat down, a hand reaching out to wrap an arm around him. The gesture made him turn his head warily, blue eyes empty and sad. It broke her heart to see him like that. "You're really miserable, aren't you…?" she asked him and he nodded, head still on his head and more tears running down his cheeks. "Why didn't you say something?" she sighed and reached up to stroke through his hair, beginning to feel miserable, too. When he only shrugged and looked away again, she pulled him closer and thought about what to do. She didn't know him like that, could count on one hand the few times he had been sad or angry; so seeing him being so miserable was something she couldn't cope with.

Her eyes fell on the bracelet in his right hand and she reached out to pull his hand closer. "You got it from him?" she asked carefully and received another nod. "Then why are you not wearing it?"

Jean-Paul shook his head and leant back to rest his head against the wall behind him, eyes on the shiny object. "I can't…," he replied hoarsely and sniffed.

"Why?"

"It… It just feels wrong…," he tried to explain, knew how ridiculous it sounded but was unable to explain his feelings. "It was his favorite…"

"Yes, and he gave it to you," Narya said which made him sigh and she took his hand. She thought she had figured it out. "You can't wear it because you'd admit how you really feel about him, don't you? Because it reminds you of him…," she said and received a weak nod after a moment of silence. "Paul… You can't change the things that you did or didn't do, you can't change what has happened… But…see it like that…" She reached out to take the silvery onyx bracelet from him and wrapped it around his right wrist. "In that way he's still always with you," she finished and watched him looking at his wrist for a moment, before his eyes became glassy again. She shifted his position and knelt down next to him, wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "I know you miss them…and that you loved him. And no matter what the others always said about the two of you, whenever I saw you together I thought you matched. Even if you didn't match characterwise or from your looks, it just felt right seeing you together."

"I miss them so much…," she heard him sobbing into her neck and pulled him even closer.

"I know…," Narya sighed and rested her head against his. "I know…"

* * *

They were already staying at the old estate for two weeks, endured the trouble that was to get their hands on food – especially the foul mood in which Victor was always in after being dragged to the outside by Logan -, when they finally sat down for breakfast and Cap said what everyone was thinking.

"We need to move…"

"And where?" James asked.

"Well I'd say we'll stay here but it's becoming too difficult for us to find food," Cap replied. "Logan said most of the animals moved too far up north, we don't have any of our resources left…"

"Someone could get food from the next village," Bucky suggested.

"How? By stealing it?" Clint asked him. "We don't have any food left, we don't know where to go, the States are an apocalyptic war zone… That's just perfect!" He could only shake his head. "Maybe… Aren't there any farms around here?!"

"Yes, and Burger Kings, too," Tony replied sarcastically. "What do you intend to do? Steal a whole cow? Or cut off a piece in hope the farmer won't notice?"

"Do you have a better idea?!" Clint challenged him and his opposite shrugged.

"Steal a cow, throw in a potato, start a Burger King of our own," he said matter-of-factly. "We should actually call it Stark Burger. In the end it was my idea."

"Tony, I was trying to be serious here…," Cap said and received a chuckle.

"Oh really? I wouldn't have notice," the addressed replied and shook his head. "Seriously, all your ideas about food and moving and doing a raid on the next farm… It's ridiculous! First, we don't have money, so no shopping for us, second, we don't know where to go, do we? So no moving either. And third, it's winter! Do you intend to sneak into a barn and drag a cow through knee-high snow all the way up here, leave a nice large trail for the farmer to follow and get us into the newspaper?" he asked. "If that's the case, just let us fly back to Washington and land in front of the White…, excuse me, Mr. Egomaniac's residence, stop in front of his window and wave our hands. That would be as secretive as leaving large cow trails that lead directly up to here."

"He has a point!" John said and crossed his arms. His eyes fell on Logan next to him who had his head lowered and was massaging his temples. He guessed his brother hadn't been sleeping again.

"We should eat the wolf…," Creed growled.

"Touch him 'n yer dead!" came the immediate reply from Logan, which was backed up by an angry growl from Miloh into Creed's direction.

"It's eatin' our food in the end!"

Logan looked up, eyes shooting death glares at Victor. "_He_'s eatin' _my_ food. Touch him 'n yer dead!" he warned him once more and lowered his head again. His mind was tired and he already began to imagine things, at least he thought so. It has started a moment ago and somehow became more and more with every second that past. When a hand touched his shoulder, he turned his head a bit to the side and back again when he noticed that it was only John. He didn't want to answer any stupid questions right now and hoped the gesture was enough. Of course, it wasn't…

"Are you okay?" John asked concerned and kept his hand on his brother's arm, even if the man tried to shake it off. "Is something wrong?!"

"Nothin'… Just hearin' voices," Logan grunted and turned his head away again.

Ororo sighed and put her makeshift mug with water down. "Are Scott and Remy upstairs again?"

"Have you ever seen them outside of their room except for breakfast or lunch?" James asked her with a slight sarcastic tone in his voice. "Piotr asked for them to join us but they wanted to be left alone."

"Great…," she said with a shake of her head. She turned to her right when Logan let out a growl and practically jumped out of his chair, then began pacing, hands folded behind his head and was heaving deep breaths. "What's the matter with him?!"

"He's hearing voices…," Cap shrugged and reached out to grab his mug when John walked over to the window and looked out, a frown on his face. "Is something wrong?" he asked, suddenly alerted and withdrew his hand from the mug, exchanging looks with the others.

"You're not hallucinating," John said to his brother and made Logan look up. "I'm hearing voices, too…"

"I don't hear anything…," Tony shrugged.

"It can't be her…," Logan grunted and lowered his head again, fists clenched and eyes looking off into space.

John switched his attention back to the window and reached out to open the back door in the end. He concentrated, tried to fight his way through every other noises he detected and to get through to what he picked up on.

Logan watched him, eyes narrowed. To him it was a waste of time. "We're in a remote location up in the mountains," he told him and met John's gaze. "It ain't real!"

"I can hear it, too, Logan!" John disagreed and was about to add something when Logan got off his stool and headed for the door.

"It ain't real!"

"Okay, then we're probably both hearing voices," John said sarcastically and closed the back door again. "Still I heard it, too…"

"Heard what?!" Ororo asked but he waved off.

"Someone shouting miles away," the feral grunted and sat back down. "Too far away to actually understand what…"

"Maybe some hunters," James shrugged. "Well, let's go back to discuss where to get food from. I think that's more important than hearing voices."

"I'm still ruling for Stark Burger," Tony replied while Reed and he worked on a plan to develop the heating of the rooms further. "Seriously, I have no idea. You could send the speedster to catch a cow from a nearby barn. He at least can't get caught…."

Oblivious to that comment, Northstar was asleep on the couch, wrapped into one of the blankets they had, his mind finally having given in to the sleep deprivation of the past days. Still he didn't like his dreams at all. In them the three of them were still together, he felt happy and content, wasn't the coward he had been before and avouched for his feelings. When he heard Kazuki calling him in his dreams, he began to stir and wanted to wake up. He couldn't bear it any longer, it hurt too much.

He heaved a deep breath before he opened his eyes slowly, blinked against the dim light in the room and reached up to run a hand over his face. It was already dark again as he figured. He felt still tired as hell but couldn't care less; dreaming about them felt worse. Drowsily, he stood up and wanted to get a glass of water, closed his eyes when he could still hear the boy's voice in his ears, calling him. It hurt, even more than being beaten up by his old team members had. When he had reached the kitchen and something bumped into him, he first thought it was Miloh and didn't bother to look down. Instead he aimed directly for the canister with clean water that they kept next to the sink. His head felt like air, he couldn't grasp a clear thought, ears were roaring and everything still like a dull sound. He was too tired…

"Papa!" he heard the boy's voice once more and closed his eyes, his heart clenching painfully in his chest. How much he wished to have at least his little boy back… "Ow!" escaped his lips as something hard connected with his thigh. Jean-Paul lowered his gaze and his eyes widened at the same time as he made a step back. Huge hazel eyes were staring back at him, a frown in the young face and tiny hands reaching out once more.

"Papa!"

He thought he was still dreaming, that he had just dreamed he had woken up and was in fact still asleep on the couch. But when he knelt down and the boy clung to him, he knew it was real and cupped the child's face in his hands to stare at him for a while in shock. He could feel the cold skin, felt its smoothness, the hair and heard him breathing. "Kazu…," Northstar whispered and, after another moment of staring, pulled the boy into a crushing hug against his chest and started crying. "How did you get here?!" he asked and looked at the boy again, who still held on to his shirt and pointed at the door. "Yes, but with whom?! Who brought you here?" he asked and looked up when someone entered the room.

"Who are you talki…," Hank began and stared at the boy in shock next. "Oh my God… How did he get here?!"

"I don't now," Jean-Paul sniffed and stood up with Kazu on his arms. "Kazu, who brought you here?!" he tried again and looked at Hank.

"There," the boy replied and pointed at the door once more.

"Yes, but how…," the speedster began once more as the half closed door went open with a loud bang and made Hank and him startle first and take a careful step back, their eyes wide…

**Well, I'm actually 20 minutes too late but I still had to add the ending.**

**Again I'm sorry that it took so long to get that chapter up but it's finally done. I hope you enjoyed reading it! Please let me know!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter!!! : )

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**Don't get confused at the beginning. It's a flashback that merges with the reality.**

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**This chapter was a b**ch to write. I had no ideas and never managed to write more than a couple of sentences in a row. That's why the update comes so late. Funny as it is, the flashback scenes in the middle were easy to write. **

**Say thanks to the song ****"Heavens Divide" by Donna Burke****. It actually gave my muse back after being finally released. : ) I love that song.  
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**I hope you'll enjoy the chapter and I'm very sorry for the long wait!!**

**In case some of you have Facebook, feel free to add me. : )  
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**You might want to think back and remember that Logan thought he heard voices! It's explained here!!**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 2**

The pain crept up his spine, blinded him, made him feel like his intestines were turned inside out. He wanted to scream but couldn't, his voice had long failed him, he wanted to struggle but his body didn't obey him. He was paralyzed, his eyes wide in horror, almost empty despite the intense pain that was tearing him apart. While one part of him understood and knew what was happening to him, what _they_ did to him, the other, the still innocent part that was somewhere hidden behind the cold exterior, couldn't grasp the meaning of the whole situation. He wanted to understand the _why_, wanted to know what he had done to deserve this brutal punishment, tried to understand what was actually happening.

He didn't even gasp as one of them let finally go of him, had hardly noticed the remains and blood that dripped down, before the next one was already there and hurt him even the more. He felt like watching himself from a corner of the dark room, saw everything, took everything in but felt unable to act upon it. The calmer he was on the outside, the more he screamed on the inside, heard his own voice but didn't utter a word.

"_He's shaking…"_

Of course he was. He had given up any control over his body the moment his face had met the dirty table. _They_ were in control, controlling him by destroying the last bit of innocence he still possessed. _They _were destroying him…

After it was finally over, he still watched himself from afar, how he pressed himself into a corner, legs pulled as close as possible, everything numb but hurting. He felt like being on fire, tried to understand but his mind was blank. He couldn't even cry anymore.

Then there was _his _voice, told him why it had happened, especially because of _whom_ it had happened, fueled his rage and hate, bound him to the lie and swore that he was always safe with him, that he loved him and needed him. He wanted to cry but had no tears left anymore. If there had been a way out, a way to safe him from the wrong path it was gone now; had been as much destroyed as he. That day he had been swallowed by the darkness for good, had lost himself in it and found the comfort he had been looking for. The shadows had become his companions, he had lived in them for decades, had lived through everything that made him even harder and colder, didn't care, couldn't care. The only things he was familiar with were death and destruction. Pain had become his strength, he had endured everything that had been thrown at him, had become stronger. No one got close and even if they tried, he didn't care. He was more important, the rest were mere pawns that he used as he liked. Above him was no one, underneath him all the rest. He did what had been done to him, acted upon the rage inside, relished in the pain and suffering of others… He couldn't care, felt nothing, no pity, no sympathy or remorse, nothing. He needed no one. He had been shaped and molded to be one way only and there was no going back for him.

"_Hold him down! I can't reach it."_

Fear kicked back in, hands were touching him and even through the fog he felt the pressure on his back. He was back in the corner, watching how _they _pushed him down, hurt him, dirtied him, heard them laughing… He hated their touches, hated people touching him, hated not being in control. No one would push him down. Not again. Never again.

"_Hold him down, damn it!"_

Even if everything was blurry and turning he lashed out and used whatever strength he had left to fight against the shadows that surrounded him. Their hands reached for his bare skin in return, grabbed him, hurt him… He would kill them, one after the other. No one would control him ever again.

He got even dizzier as shadows and colors merged, painting his world into a blurry, sickening vision. It was enough to make him empty whatever was left in his stomach. It was too hot but also cold at the same time. And the shadows seemed to be everywhere. What had they done to him…?

"_Tell him to calm down!"_

Who was that voice anyway?!

He intended to move his head into the direction of that voice, but instead it dropped without any control. He wasn't in control… He was weak… So tired… The other voice spoke up again. His eyes rolled into the direction, saw blue colors only before the blue turned into a dark shadow again. He didn't want to sleep, not now when they were here and tried to hurt him again. He couldn't give in but he felt so tired and cold.

"…_o?"_

His read rolled back to the other side. Another shadow but he began to calm down. Something inside of him told him to calm down. He…knew that shadow, knew its voice and smell…

"…_safe…"_

Instinctively, he moved closer to it and did the only thing he could do in his helpless state. He clawed at the shadow and wanted to hide, wanted to hold on to it as he had always done, sought the comfort he was lacking now. When the shadow touched him back he knew he was safe. But still he didn't reckon with a sharp pain shooting up his spine next and dipping his vision into complete darkness.

"Got it…," Hank panted and dropped the silver object into his hand after pulling it forcefully out. It had been lodged between shoulder and ribs. "They couldn't use a bigger one, could they?!" he cursed and looked up when the bullet was taken out of his hand.

"Smells like carbonadium t'me… Explains everythin'," Logan grunted with narrowed eyes and dropped the object to the ground. He wasn't sure if he could narrow his eyes any further but it was worth giving it a try. In the end, he was furious enough at the moment. He watched Hank for a moment. "What's the situation?"

"Heartbeat 189 beats per minute and rising, breathing 45 times per minute," the doctor said matter-of-factly and shook his head. "The wound is largely infected. Considering heart rate, breathing rate and that the temperature is high… I would usually need a confirmation by white blood cell count, but in this case it is obvious it is a severe sepsis. The fact that he was confused, agitated and vomited makes it even more obvious."

"So?" Logan asked, not liking the concerned look on Hank's face.

"I can't treat it, Logan," his friend replied with a shake of his head. "I need nutrition and fluids… He's dehydrated and has lost weight. Antibiotics to fight off the sepsis, that is if it's not too late already…"

"What do ya mean _already_?!" Logan growled and knitted his eyebrows.

Hank gave him a brief look and shook his head. "From the way it looks, Logan, it's too late. He's in such a bad condition…"

"But not dead, yet!"

"No, but suffering. Up to 30% die within 30 days Logan. 60% even when they go into shock," Hank lectured him. "Considering it took them 2 ½ weeks to find us…"

"Then he still got 15 days!" the feral snapped, eyes blazing with anger. "'n I could still use the jet 'n…"

"And risk all of our lives just for one person?!" Cap asked and crossed his arms.

"Not just one _person_!" Logan growled and glared at him but his friend shook his head.

"You take the jet, fly to the next village and then what?" Cap said. "Force them to give you the medicine he needs? We are fugitives and you are pretty much under the top 3 of the Most Wanted-list at the moment! Only one of them recognizes you and all of us are in danger. I'm sorry but you were a soldier and you know that you don't risk the life of a whole group just to save one person!" He tried to keep a straight face as he was suddenly thrown and pinned to the next wall. "You know that I'm right!" he said and held the murderous glare he was given.

"We might still have some medicine in the jet. Maybe Hank can use it," Tony threw in, in hope to deescalate the situation. He looked from Logan to Cap and back again. "I'll go and get it. Just…don't kill each other while I'm gone, okay?" he added and left the house quickly.

"Logan, let him go," Parker begged and put a hand on the feral's arm. "Come on, it doesn't change anything when you beat him up."

Growling, Logan gave Cap another push and crossed his arm before he returned to the spot where Hank was occupied dressing the wound. He remained silent for the whole procedure, decided to just watch and try to keep himself from going berserk. He didn't even move as Tony returned and handed Hank whatever he had found in the jet's medical cabinet. He was pissed off, pissed off at the MRD, pissed off at Apocalypse and Sinister, pissed off at every one that had decided to go on his nerves at the moment. Even more so when they were right. He just wanted to smash something…or better someone.

"Daddy…?"

His head jerked aside and his eyes met green orbs. Immediately, his mood softened and he knelt down to scoop the owner up. "Can't sleep?" he asked, his voice soft for the first time in hours and received a shake of the head. "Right…," he mumbled and gave Hank a brief nod before he retreated. Upstairs, he went into his room, where he closed the door and sat down on the bed. "It ain't too cold?" he asked after tucking the child back in.

"No but the shadows are scary…"

He looked and figured out what was meant. The storm on the outside made the old tree in front of the window shake and cast shadows against the walls. "They are only shadows…," he said soothingly and reached out to stroke through soft hair, remembered that he had always been scared of them as a child, too. "'n Miloh's here, too," he added with a nod at the wolf that slept at the end of the bed.

"I know…," came the whiney reply and the blanket was pulled even higher. "Still, I'm scared…"

"Nothin' will happen t'ya!" Logan tried a different tactic and turned his head a bit as he picked up on Hank talking downstairs. As he understood the situation was serious and not looking good at all. His heart sank at the thought of losing something he had just gotten back. He kept on asking himself the same question over and over again. Why hadn't they just stayed at the mansion? Maybe they could have prevented the attack somehow. Maybe they wouldn't have lost so much. Maybe he could have done more…

"I miss mommy…," Rachel suddenly began to cry and hid her face underneath the blanket.

He turned his head back into her direction, his heart clenching painfully at the sound and words. "I know, baby. Me, too…," he croaked and tried to clear his throat as good as possible. He couldn't cry in front of her, not here, not when he still felt like breaking apart beyond any repair. Not knowing what else to do, he sank down and knelt down next to the bed, reached out to pull the blanket aside and met her desperate, sad gaze. Not anything that he had experienced in Weapon X hurt him as much as seeing his child so upset. He hated to see them cry. "C'mere…," he whispered and within less than a second she was in his arm and sobbed restlessly into his neck.

Logan closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed hard. What was he supposed to say? Now that he himself was at a loss of words? He couldn't tell her that her mother wasn't coming back, that her siblings weren't returning to them either, that she would have to grow up without them and cling to memories, which were constantly fading with the time. No, he couldn't tell her anything that he couldn't and refused to accept himself… "We still got us…," he whispered instead and held her as close as possible, swayed a bit to calm her down. Hearing her crying so much, made him tear up, too. He couldn't hold them back, no matter how hard he fought against them.

They still got each other, so much was true. But how could this be good when their future was so uncertain? How was he supposed to explain to a nearly 8 year old that the world was going to hell? That they were fugitives and wanted dead? That there was a war coming up which would be more than ugly? That they were probably not able to win this? That he might not be able to protect them…?

"You won't leave, too, right?" he heard her sniffing into his neck and his eyes grew even sadder.

He would have to leave sooner or later, the war was inevitable… But what was he supposed to say now? He could neither tell her the truth nor lie… "I'll try not t'…," Logan replied and felt her arms tightening around his neck. She had clearly stiffened for a moment, so he prayed she would just leave the topic be. "Ray…," he said and made her look at him, held her frightened and sad look as good as he could. "Ya found us here. Ya traveled all the way up t'get back t'yer family, so I'll do anythin' I can t'make sure we'll stay together, 'kay? But t'make sure that we can… I can't promise ya that I don't have t'leave for a while t'make sure we won't get separated again. Do ya understand that?" he asked, his voice soft and he could tell she was on the verge of crying again. Still she nodded briefly and clung t him once more. "Trust me, I wish it was different…," he added and rested his head against hers.

"Will you stay here, daddy?" Rachel asked after a long moment of silence, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I'll have t'go downstairs again t'see how he's doin'… I'll come up later, 'kay?" he asked but she shook her head. "Baby, he needs me, too…"

"I want to come with you…," she sniffed and clung to him again.

"'kay…," he sighed and got up, took a pillow and blanket from the bed and then walked back downstairs, where he ignored the looks some of the Avengers gave him. He could easily tell that Rachel felt uncomfortable, too, since she buried her face in the crook of his neck and tightened her grip on his shirt. "Sit here," he told her and put her on one couch, before he headed back upstairs to get Kazuki and Jamie, who had both been sleeping in his old bed. Both boys gave a displeased sound when he pulled them carefully up, but didn't even wake up after he put them down next to Rachel. "Yer fine?" Logan asked his daughter, who nodded but still sniffed and kept on stroking over her head after he had tucked her and the boys back in. It didn't take long for Miloh to join them; the wolf taking his usual protective spot in front of Jamie, where he eyed everyone else attentively after getting comfortable.

"He won't die, will he, daddy?" the little redhead sniffed with a look at the couch opposite of the one she was currently lying on.

Logan exchanged a brief look with Hank, noticed the deep concern in the furbal's eyes and tried to give his daughter a smile. "I don't think so, sweetheart…" At least he hoped so.

"I don't want him to die…," she pouted and pulled her pillow closer, tears still visible in her eyes. When her father wiped them away she looked up and met his gaze.

"It's late, baby. Sleep now, alright?" he asked her and received a nod. When he kissed her goodnight and she hugged him, he wanted to promise her that everything would turn out fine somehow, but he couldn't. Instead he held her close until she finally fell asleep.

"I gave him antibiotics, painkillers and hooked him up to liquids and nutrition. That's all I can do," Hank told him in a hushed voice, tired and exhausted. "We can only wait… As drugged and weak as he is he won't wake up for a good while."

"'kay. Thanks," Logan nodded and told him to go and get some sleep, before he went over to the second sofa and knelt down next to it. His hand reached out and stroked over a hot, sweaty and very pale, almost grey cheek in full concern, still not believing how things had turned out.

From afar he was watched by Cap and those that had remained after the big surprise that had burst into the old house. Those that still watched him looked as concerned as Cap, but because of a whole different reason. When the blonde turned and headed back to his room that he still shared with the remaining Avengers, they followed him, up the stairs and past Northstar who gave them a rather sour look.

He knew exactly what they were thinking. Still, he ignored them as good as he could, bit back any cocky things that his mind came up with and continued heading downstairs to hand Logan a blanket, while he sat down next to him and wrapped himself into the second one. It would be the first of some very long and worrisome nights. He was convinced of it. Exhausted, he rested his head against the sofa, his heavy lidded eyes on the pale figure on the couch. By the look of him he could only guess what he had been through. Tomorrow, he told himself. They would get to know everything tomorrow, after some of them had a good nights rest…

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"I don't like him being here at all…," Cap continued his rant in his room upstairs and was pacing, watched by his team. "He made us even more a target than we already are. And if he was followed…" He shook his head and stopped.

"I can't imagine it will be that bad…," MJ said and all eyes were on her. "I mean… Why would he follow us all the way and let himself be injured that badly, if he was the enemy?!"

"Because he's a complete psycho," Bucky spat and made sure his gun was loaded.

"You're exaggerating!" Elektra replied and crossed her arms.

"He's not!" Cap said and leant back against the wall behind him. "Have you ever looked into that guy's eyes? There's nothing in it. No emotions, nothing."

Elektra couldn't help but snort. "And so you dub him a psycho? Just because there's nothing in his eyes?" she asked him as if he was out of his mind. "You don't even know that guy and it's fairly obvious that you hate him!"

"Because I'm sure that he's a spy and that he's double crossing us!" Cap replied, eyes grim. "And he is a psycho! The bits that Fury managed to dig out about him spoke for themselves…"

When the women still shook their heads, Hawkeye jumped in. "I don't judge him because I don't know anything about him, but don't you agree that it's highly suspicious he has managed to find us up here? In the middle of nowhere? Thousand miles away from where we have last been?!"

"Oh, please!" MJ groaned. "Logan can track someone throughout the world!"

"Yes, but not when this person flew by jet!" Tony said and gave Pepper next to him a brief look, but looked away when she noticed it. "Listen, it's been a long day, we'll get to know the whole adventure by tomorrow and besides…" He made a dramatic pause. "…the Prince is pretty much out cold and not a threat. That is for any possible viruses he might produce or has caught in that state of his…."

"Prince?!" Elektra asked and gave him a confused look.

"Yes, Prince!"

"Why Prince?!" she demanded to know, exchanged a look with MJ and Pepper but both women could only shrug.

"Probably because he behaves like one…," Cap mumbled his snarky remark.

Tony sighed. "First of all, he's Logan's kid," he began matter-of-factly. "Considering the fact that our dear feral was born into a pretty rich family," he pointed at the house that surrounded them, "and is probably a lord, duke, king, whatever, it makes his lovely sonnyboy automatically as rich and a prince or whatever. Secondly, Logan can pretty much kill us all. That's a fact. So it makes him the king in a killing game. Ergo Satan's brute is once more automatically a prince."

"Why don't you just say Akihiro has the looks, manners and walk of a prince, because that pretty much sums it up?" Pepper asked and raised an eyebrow when Tony gave her a look back.

"Probably because I must have missed all of those…attributes you just listed!"

"Whatever, I don't care," Cap sighed and came over to them where he lay down. "I don't trust that guy and I'd bet he's with the enemy…"

"Or maybe you are just jealous…," MJ mumbled and acted all innocently when the blonde turned his head into her direction to give her a sharp look. "Anyway, I'm tired. Good night!" she said and made sure her son was tucked in before she tried to get comfortable in the crowded space.

* * *

After he had soaked the cloth in cool water and put it back on Daken's sweaty forehead, Northstar tucked him further in and, after a moment of just looking at the feral, he left to join the rest in an adjoining room. They hadn't started, yet, as he figured and were still waiting for Jubilee to begin telling them what had happened at the mansion and how she, Daken and the children had gotten all the way up to the old Howlett estate.

"How's he doin'?" Logan asked the speedster in a hushed voice after the man has sat down next to him.

"Still out cold," the man replied and received a nod. He then turned his head towards the young woman, who was sitting next to Bobby and holding on to his arm. It was easy to tell that both could still not believe it to be reunited again.

"Well…," Hank began and broke the silence. "Since everyone is here now," he gave Scott and Remy a look, both men sitting together and not looking at anyone of them, "I think Jubilee should start telling us about what happened."

Hearing her name, the woman raised her head and looked into the round. Usually not one to feel nervous easily, she did so right now. Her hand clutched firmer at Bobby who gave her a reassuring squeeze. The horrors of the past two weeks were still fresh and painful, the shock still deep. "Right…," she mumbled and exchanged a last look with Bobby and Kitty before she swallowed hard. "Well, you had left for that emergency call from the Avengers. We went on preparing everything for midnight and waited for your return. And then…"

"_Jean? What is it?" Ororo asked since her friend was suddenly staring at the window and stood like frozen on one spot without showing the tiniest reaction. Concerned, the woman laid a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Jean?!" she said once more and noticed that the others had fallen silent and were watching them. "What's wrong?!"_

"_Something's wrong?!" Kitty asked and stepped closer, her eyes switching to and fro between both women. _

"_I…I don't know," the weather goddess told her, her eyes back on Jean. "She… She's not reaction to anything I say."_

"_Jean?" Kitty tried it but the redhead suddenly walked over to a window and looked out, eyes fixated on something only she could see._

"_What's wrong with mommy?" Jack asked and looked up as his grandfather put a hand on his shoulder. It was then that he noticed once more how the wolf and his family behaved restless, whines, howled and were running back and forth the room. "Something's wrong…," the boy said more to himself and earned a frown from the man next to him._

"_What's wrong?" Daken asked and let go of Jean-Paul next to whom he had been sitting on one sofa. He looked at his younger half-brother first, then at Jean who had turned back around and was staring at the floor thoughtfully. _

"_Jean? You're scaring me! Are you not feeling well?" Ororo asked and put both hands on her best friend's shoulder, who suddenly raised her head and stared at her with widened eyes. "What…?"_

"_Oh God…," was all the redhead gasped and turned towards the window once more, Miloh beginning to howl once more while Callie whimpered and kept on running back and forth._

"_What's the matter?!" Northstar asked and put a hand on Daken's shoulder, while the man was still watching his step-mother thoughtfully._

"_Jean?" Kitty asked and startled when the woman turned around all of a sudden, eyes still wide, looking shocked._

"_Go, pack a bag with the most necessary things and head for the emergency exit in the basement immediately!" the redhead ordered and began to usher her children towards the door. _

"_Mommy?!" Lilly asked and was completely confused but also scared._

"_Could you go get Jamie and pack a bag with some clothes?" Jean asked her father, who could only nod absentmindedly. "There's not much time. Hurry!"_

"_Jean, what is going on?!" Bobby asked and could tell that the behavior of the woman scared the others. He, too, began to feel nervous._

"_Something's about to happen. We need to get out of here and that quickly. So pack some clothes, get the children and head for the emergency exit underground!" Jean ordered, her voice urgent and got annoyed when no one except her father began to actually do something. "MOVE!" she said and gave them a push with her powers. "There's no time!"_

"_Come on!" Jean-Paul said and pulled Daken with him to their room where he began to get a bag and pack some of their and Kazuki's things. He stopped in between when he began to remember something. "Kazu's upstairs in Logan's room. I'll go and get him."_

"_No, I'll go. They probably need help waking those things," Daken grunted and followed him out of the room._

"_Those things are called students," Jean-Paul reprimanded him gently. "Are you sure? I'm faster than…"_

"_That's why they probably need you," the feral cut him off and looked up when Moira called over to Ororo that she would go and get some medical equipment, her son and would meet them downstairs. "Just go. We'll meet outside."_

"_Okay. Be careful," the speedster nodded and let go of the man's hand before he ran off to help Bobby, Peter and Kitty to wake the students that had already gone to bed._

"_Mommy?!" Lily whined and looked at her mother in fear. "What's happening?"_

"_I don't know sweetheart…," Jean replied and made sure everyone had left the ballroom before she checked up on her father mentally and told everyone else to hurry up. Every single sense in her body was telling her that something was about to happen, the alarm bells ringing so much that she was getting a headache. "Come on, we need to go downstairs and prepare the exit, okay?" she told Laura, Jack and Lily and ushered her towards the elevator. Her powers had already begun to work on all the elevators in the mansion and programmed them to head downstairs as soon as the doors closed._

"_Damn, damn, damn…," Jubilee cursed while she ran up the corridor, through the panicking students and shouted at them to hurry up and head for the next elevator to meet with Jean in the basement. "Come on. Go!"_

"_You can shout as much as you want, they don't listen to you at the moment."_

_She came to a halt and gave the man a confused look. "What's up with you?!" she asked Daken, who had Kazuki and Jamie on his arm, while Rachel stood next to him, holding her plush wolf close. "Wasn't John supposed to get them?!"_

"_He's old and too slow. Now stop babbling and tell me where one of those damn elevators is," he snapped and glared at her._

"_Someone didn't pay attention in what the professor was telling him, huh?" Jubilee mocked and took Rachel's hand. "The next one is down the corridor to the left. The others should be occupied." She began to head that way, followed by him and, while running past more students, told them once more to not waste time and aim for the closest elevator._

"_You're wasting time," Daken grumbled behind her._

"_How do you want to know?!" _

"_Because people don't listen to anything during a panic, they just follow their instincts," he replied and began to frown when Jamie suddenly began to whine. "Don't drool on my shirt!"_

"_Hey, be nice to him!" the woman warned him, as they reached the elevator and went inside. "We should come up in the hangar. Jean is preparing the emergency exits down the corridor."_

_Daken shook his head. "Why not just leaving this fucking house through the front door…," he muttered._

"_Shush! Language!" Jubilee warned him._

"_Where's mommy?!" Rachel whined and tears became visible in her eyes._

"_We'll meet her soon, don't you worry!" Jubilee tried to soothe her with a smile and headed out of the elevator. "Through that door over there and then to the right."_

_She had barely said it as Jean told them mentally to take cover and brace themselves. Before Jubilee could ask what was happening they heard several explosions and the earth around them began to shake so heavily that the ground, ceiling and walls were vibrating due to the impact. "Oh my God, what's happening?!" the young woman cried, moved closer to the feral next to her and pulled Rachel instinctively closer._

_Daken had his eyes fixed to the ceiling and was sure the ceiling hadn't been built like that. "Get over there!" he barked and ran over to a semi-finished smaller jet, where he sought protection underneath. He couldn't care less that Jamie as well as Kazuki and Rachel were crying in fear, or that Jubilee clung to him. All he could think about was a way out as more explosions could be heard and the earth shook even heavier than before, so much that he would have definitely toppled over if it wasn't for his crouched position underneath the jet. From afar he heard several people screaming as a sound like an avalanche came steadily closer to their room. His eyes switched to the giant double door on their far right that had the same huge X on it as all the others in the basement. Dust and smoke seeped through it, became more the louder the sound became for him and the screams on the outside had long died. Even without seeing it, he knew what was going on and his heart began to beat uncontrollably._

"_What's happening?!" Jubilee cried into his shoulder and tried to keep the children between them._

_But before he could reply the double door gave way and an avalanche of dust, smoke, bodies and fire washed over them like a giant wave… _

"But how did you survive that?!" Cap asked, clearly confused and gave Logan, who had gotten up and was staring out of the window, his back to them, a look.

"When I opened my eyes again," Jubilee began and folded her hands in her lap, "we were surrounded by orange light. Like fire. I think Rachel or Jamie or both of them must have used their powers to protect us… I mean…they were screaming in fear…" She shrugged and kept staring at her hands.

"Neither Jamie nor Ray have this kinda power," Logan grunted without turning around.

"Maybe they used it unconsciously?" Ororo suggested but he shook his head. "Maybe Ray didn't. But Jamie…"

"No!" Logan insisted.

"Logan, Jamie brought Hiro back to life by just touching him. I've been in the same room when it happened," Jean-Paul tried it next. "And he accidentally activated his power to protect himself and Hiro from Phoenix's attack…"

"It's possible…," Hank nodded, still trying to get over what he had just heard. "The boy is very powerful…"

"Anyway, what happened then?" Cap asked Jubilee. "How did you get out?"

She sighed and heaved a deep breath next. "Well…"

_When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was fire. Above her, next to her, surrounding her. So she screamed._

"_Damn it, stop shouting in my ear!" she heard Daken snapping at her angrily and it was then that she realized that the fire wasn't hot or burning her._

"_What…?!" she asked and looked around herself, saw dust, and metal, wood and stones and things she didn't want to look to closely at all around her. "How…?" Jubilee said and sat up, realizing that they were pretty much trapped somewhere underground._

"_I don't care. We survived this but we're not out of here, yet," Daken said and went on looking for a way out. The children were unconscious, the air was heavy with smoke and dust, his eyes watering and his nose and throat burning due to his heightened senses. Other than that he couldn't hear a damn thing. Considering what had happened, it didn't surprise him. His senses told him to find a way out and just go. No turning back, no caring, just go._

"_Oh my God! That's Sara!" Jubilee suddenly screamed behind him and he growled as she clung to him, sobbing._

"_Let go and don't look at it," he grunted and peeled her hands off him. "We need to get out of here and that quickly. There is hardly any oxygen in the air."_

_Since he had his back to her, he didn't see how she glared at him, eyes narrowed, fists clenched and tears streaming down her dirty cheeks while her chest was quickly heaving. "You…are so cold hearted!" she accused him and received a look for this. _

"_Ex…cuse me?!" Daken seethed, eyes narrowing, too._

"_How can you think about yourself when the others might need our help or are dead?!"_

"_Because they are dead, so why should I care?" he replied coldly and went on with his search, ignoring her sobs. _

_Behind him she was boiling with anger, couldn't understand him or how he couldn't care. Even if she was still trapped meters underground with obviously no way out, her thoughts and feelings were with her friends and family. Had they been as lucky as they had? Were some of them still alive? The explosion must have been huge, so the X-Men in the field should have seen it. What if they were looking for them?! Her eyes fell on the children and she went quickly over to check on them, was glad to find a steady pulse. Then, she looked back at him, heard how he was working on some kind of metal on the ground. "Logan always puts others first, never himself…," Jubilee said and gave him a disgusted and furious look._

"_Well…," she heard Daken saying in the same arrogant voice he usually addressed others, "some people should finally learn that I am not my father, don't you think?"_

"_No, you're not. You're cold hearted, arrogant and a complete jerk!" she snapped and her blood froze in her veins as his eyes, unusual dark, settled on her and gave her an indefinable look._

"_Right. And guess what, sweetheart," Daken replied, voice very low and too soft, still without any emotions besides a suppressed fury. "I could kill you, right here, right now. No one would know. I could pin you to the floor and have my way with you over and over again, I could use my pheromones on you and make you beg me for more, or make you feel pain you have never felt before. I could do whatever I want with you, for how long I want it and then cut of your skin first and muscles next while I enjoy hearing you scream. I could do the same to those children over there," he told her and smirked when she began to back off. "And you can't do a damn thing against it. So shut up and let me look for a way out in peace, or I will try out what your ice prince has taught you up to now, understood?" With a last warning glare, he turned back towards the floor and went on pulling on the metallic door that he had found underneath some remains. He tore on it as hard as he could and, after he had already wanted to make her help him, managed to open it. He looked down into the dark hole and listened carefully to any threats, but all he could hear was some water. "Sewer…?" he mumbled to himself and got up to pull Rachel and Jamie up into his arm. "Carry him and climb down after me!" _

_Only glaring at him in silence, Jubilee did as she was told and followed him down a long ladder. She found it hard to hold on to Kazuki with one arm while she had to use the other one for the climbing. When she finally heard Daken landing on solid ground she was glad. Her arm was already killing her. Next to him, she took a look around and was surprised that there was another tunnel far underneath the mansion. Before she could ask, he had already begun walking into one direction. "Jerk…," she muttered under her breath and followed him, holding Kazuki close._

_After what had appeared to be ages to both of them and after passing several cross roads, they finally reached the end of the tunnel. "Wait here," Daken grunted and pushed her against the wall to his right. He stepped out of the tunnel and took a long look at their surroundings. He was surprised that they had come out somewhere close to the city. At least that was his guess. He couldn't smell fire or smoke, didn't hear the water of the lake that was close to the mansion. Instead he could smell the scent of the ocean from miles away._

"_Where are we?" Rachel suddenly mumbled into his neck but didn't look up._

"_No idea…," he grunted and told Jubilee to come out of the tunnel. "Where would my father go to?" Daken demanded to know and stared her down._

"_I don't know," the woman replied and avoided his eyes with an angry look on her face._

"_You don't know," Daken repeated slowly, as if to try the taste of the sentence, and nodded. "Sure. Try another lie."_

_She sighed and looked around, still fighting back tears. "The groups agreed to meet at the closest HQ in case of an attack," she finally said and made him frown. "So tell me where we are and I'll let you know."_

"_Somewhere close to the ocean."_

"_Then they probably went to the Avenger's HQ," Jubilee concluded._

"_And what if not?" Daken asked and began to walk without paying attention to her._

"_Then to the Fantastic Four's HQ," she mocked and followed him. "Duh!"_

_He glared at her and led the way through some alleys, away from the main roads and tried to remember where exactly the Avenger's HQ was. He could tell that Jubilee was doing the same. The building was tall enough to be easily spotted thanks to the three towers, but he couldn't spot it anywhere. Still he was sure that he had walked the right path. His mind was like a hard drive, always remembering and memorizing things in case they became into handy to a later time._

"_Are you sure we are at the right location?!" Jubilee suddenly asked him and shook her head after taking another look around. "I… I don't see it anywhere."_

"_That's because it's gone," Daken grunted. He had figured it out and his ears were already focusing on an announcement somewhere close to Times Square. He knew that voice, listened to the announcement and was well aware what it meant for them. "We need to go. Now!" he ordered and pulled her with him back into the alley and quickly to the opposite side, away from the main street and further into the dark. They needed shadows now. As many as they could find._

"_What…," Jubilee began and tried to fight him off. "We need to go to the next HQ!"_

"_They don't exist anymore, don't you get that?!" Daken snapped at her and quickly regained his focus on keeping the children asleep with his pheromones. He couldn't need them to start crying loudly now. _

"_What do you mean?!" the woman asked and he chose to ignore it. He hated dealing with people in shock._

"_In case they teamed up with the other groups," he began and, after a quick check on the street in front of them, went over to the first car he could find and broke into it. "Where would they go?!" he asked and put Jamie, Rachel and Kazuki on the back seats, buckled them in, before he pushed Jubilee, who still stared at him completely lost, into the passenger's seat and took the driver's seat next to her. "Where?!"_

"_I… I don't know…," she gasped and watched him working on the cables through a wall of fog and tears. "I…" Only shaking her head she buried her face into her hands and pulled her legs close. Everything, all the events of the past hours washed over her like one giant wave and she couldn't deal with it._

"_Just great…," Daken cursed and started the engine, then drove off. If she couldn't tell him where the groups would head to, he had no idea where to go. It would be easy for him to dispose of her and the children, then continue the path alone. No one would ever know. It would be way easier without them to get out of here undetected… "If they fled together, they'll need a huge hideout, a house or building…," he tried once more and placed a hand at the back of her head to make her look at him. "So where would they go?"_

"_I don't know…," Jubilee whispered and leant over to go on sobbing into his shoulder. "I don't know anything…"_

_Sighing, the feral could only shake his head and began focusing his pheromones on her, too. It didn't take long and she fell asleep. He despised doing it since he needed the information, but he wasn't dumb either. She was of no use now. No one of them was of any use for him now. "Just dump them in the ocean…," Daken muttered to himself and began to think harder. If he were his father and had to bring three groups into safety… If his currently biggest enemy had declared war on them and made them enemies of the state or better said country… If he was in their situation, which he actually was at the moment…, where would he go?_

_The States were in Apocalypses hand, the authorities, too, he had Sentinels and the Devils to hunt down mutants and humans alike… If he were his father, he wouldn't stay in the States. He would hide outside of it, treat the wounded, regroup, plan an attack. He was sure his father had done exactly that. "Great… That just leaves dozens of other countries that are not under US law," Daken cursed and kept his eyes on the dark road ahead of him._

_He tried to remember if he had ever, in his time with Romulus been to any place that his father might know and that was not in the States. He had been everywhere on the world, mostly places his father had visited, too. "Useless…," he dismissed the thought. Maybe the Professor had contacted them and led them to wherever he was, he thought next but dismissed the idea, too. He was sure the Professor would have checked upon the mansion first and would have picked up on them. _

_A building, a house, another HQ he didn't know about… Anything that could help him. But then again he knew about all the HQs, knew all safe places of the groups, too. He had learned them by heart, wanted to be prepared for any upcoming mission. He knew the weaknesses and strengths of the Avengers and Fantastic Four, knew how he could manipulate them to his will… So he knew their safe places weren't big enough for all of them. That was if they had left together…_

_Only shaking his head, the feral turned his head and had actually wanted to look at Jubilee, but his eyes fell on something else. In front of the passenger's seat, barely noticeable on the first look, was a sticker of a red and white flag. "Of course…," Daken said and wanted to slap himself. His father was Canadian, so he would take them out of the States and to Canada, away from US authorities. But still…where would he take them? He thought hard, went through all the buildings of which he knew that his father was somehow related to them and his mind came to a halt at a building that was big enough, far away enough and at the most remote location possible. Still, he knew Logan wouldn't voluntarily set a foot anywhere close that house. That was, if he knew any other way out. And right now, after what happened, Daken was sure his father didn't know any other way out…_

_

* * *

_

_When she opened her eyes again, she was surprised that it was still dark. Or was it dark again and she had been unconscious for a whole day? Blinking, Jubilee looked next to her and was surprised to find the seat empty, but what shocked her even the more was that not only Daken but also the children were gone. Panic began to spread in her chest , made her unbuckle herself quickly before she headed out of the car and looked around, panting._

_The sky was unnaturally black, the air chilly and she could see her breath in it. Wind was rustling in the trees around her, shadows everywhere even if there was no moon visible in the sky. She thought she could hear noises all around her and it scared her. "Dammit, dammit, dammit…," she whispered to herself, her eyes still searching between the trees around her. What if he had kidnapped the children? What if he thought she was asleep long enough to dispose of the children and then come back to have some perverted fun with her, before he would kill her next? _

_Jubilee's body began to shake, more of fear than the cold air and she thought about what to do. A sign close to the car told her that she was close to the Canadian border. It surprised her. She must have been out cold for a good while. Still, she didn't know what to do. He could track her down, easily. There was no way escaping him. Even if she somehow made it towards the border and actually over it, he would follow her, find her, probably torture her and then kill her. She was convinced of it. Her mind recalled what Logan had told them over and over again in one of his survival and self-defense classes. "If ya find yerself in a threatening situation, don't be stupid enough t'fight. Run!" Liking the sound of those words, Jubilee did what her instincts told her and ran for her life…_

_She ran up the street and past tree after tree, her lungs acing due to the cold air and her muscles heavily protesting. She had only one goal: reach the border or find anyone that could help her. As she went past another tree, she thought she had slipped and a silent scream escaped her lips. As she tried to get up again to continue her way, she found that she couldn't move and was suddenly pulled back by something strong. Looking up, she found angry dark eyes glaring at her and was soon dragged back into the direction of the car. "No, let me go. Let me GO!" she began to scream and used her fists and legs to fight against her capturer, who lifted her over his shoulder in the end and carried her back to the car. Not knowing what else she could do, she used her powers and heard Daken hiss in pain as parts of his skin was scorched. The woman gasped as she found herself as quickly pressed against the next tree, as the mansion has been blown to pieces and stared back at his furious glare with widened eyes. Her breath was caught in her throat and she felt like a rabbit caught in the car's light. Even furious like this, she couldn't help but think that he looked too handsome for his own good._

"_You'll listen now," Daken seethed in barely more than a whisper that sent shivers down her spine and his eyes were narrowed to slits. "Get your ass back to the car or I'll leave you here to rod. Did I make myself clear?"_

"_You're going to kill me anyway!" she cried and began to sob in fear. Something that earned her a tilted head and cocked eyebrow._

"_Yeah, I will if you try another stunt like that," he replied dryly, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to the car. "It's already hard enough to keep them calm, so don't annoy me any further, girl," he added growling and started the engine again after he had pushed her back into her seat. He shot a glare at her from aside to tell her once more to shut up and used his pheromones once more to force her to calm down. _

"_Are you hungry?" Rachel suddenly asked from behind and held out a fruit salad in a plastic box for Jubilee._

"_W…where did you get that?" the woman asked and gave the box a surprised look after taking it._

"_Stole it in a deserted shop," Daken grunted and kept his eyes on the road, but checked the rearview mirror. "Buckle back in!"_

"_Sorry…," the little redhead mumbled and did as she was told._

_Confused, Jubilee looked at the children and then at the feral next to her. Something was fishy but she couldn't tell what. "What have you done with them?!" she demanded to know and was surprised that he handed her a bottle with water from somewhere next to him. "It's poisoned!"_

_Groaning, he shook his head and dropped the bottle in her lap. "Yeah, and while you were sleeping I abused the children and had my fun with you. Since I soon got bored I killed some people, too…" He looked at her in complete annoyance. "How…does your ice cube of a husband actually cope with you without killing himself?!" he demanded to know and received a glare. "The kids needed to pee and even without my help, you were out cold for nearly a day. So I suggest you eat and drink because I can't and won't take you to a hospital in case you dehydrate," he added dryly and looked back at the road. "We'll reach the border soon so be prepared for a fight."_

_Jubilee looked behind her where Jamie and Kazuki were already sleeping again and Rachel was holding on to her wolf and close to doze off, too. She didn't understand. "Why…are you doing this?!" she asked and her eyes were back on him._

"_Don't know," Daken grunted and ran a hand through his hair, feeling how the first stubble appeared on his head. He didn't want to know how messed up his usually styled mohawk looked. He could feel her eyes on him and it annoyed him. "Stop staring at me!"_

_Breaking the contact, Jubilee opened the box and slowly began to eat. "Where are we heading anyway?"_

"_My father's old home in Alberta."_

_She froze. "Al…berta? As in Canada?!" she asked and made him roll his eyes._

"_No, Alberta as in Polynesia," he mocked and hook his head._

"_Why?!" she asked next._

"_Because I think it's where they are heading," he replied, his voice still full of sarcasm. "Now stop asking!"_

_But she would have none of it. "You…think? So you actually don't know for sure."_

"_Ahondara…," Daken cursed in his native tongue and was tempted to make use of his pheromones again._

"_What does that even mean? Speak English!" Jubilee said dryly and sipped on the bottle. "Where exactly in Alberta is that supposed to be anyway?!"_

_Daken closed his eyes for a brief moment to heave a deep breath. "All the way up in the northern territories, somewhere in the Wood Buffalo area…," he tried to say in an as calm voice as possible but it sounded completely annoyed._

"_Somewhere! There it is! So you have no idea at all." She looked out of the window and noticed once more that it was still pitch black. "What time is it?"_

"_8:30 a.m."_

"_Then why is it dark?!"_

"_Because it's dark since two days ago."_

"_Why?" she asked, still looking outside and chewing on the fruit. _

_Daken glared at her from aside. "Let me guess your secondary mutation," he began and she frowned at him. "Your brain's stuck at five years, am I right?"_

"_Jerk!" Jubilee replied and stuck out her tongue at him before she looked back outside._

"_Yes, I was right," he nodded his confirmation and began to frown as he saw something from afar. "Damn…"_

"_What?"_

"_They placed the military at the border… Probably MRD," he replied and slowed the car down._

"_So?" she shrugged. _

"_Well they just have the order to probably kill everyone at sight but never mind. Why should we worry, right?" he mocked and thought about what to do. He could stop the car, go ahead and kill those soldiers. But then again he couldn't tell what kind of weapons they had. He was convinced they were anti-mutant weapons. Then he could try to approach them and use his pheromones on them. But this would mean to risk the lives of the others and bring them into danger. Stopping the car, his mind began to calculate the possible outcome of every situation and he chose Plan A. Approaching the enemy alone was still the best choice he could make. "Stay here and no matter what, stay in the car and don't move!" he warned Jubilee, who watched him leaving the car and disappearing between the trees to their right._

_She slumped down in her seat, so much that only her eyes were looking over the headboard. Her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest as she watched him approaching the guarding soldiers at the border and she actually held her breath as he took position in the shadows._

_At the border four soldiers were patrolling and keeping their eyes on the road ahead of them. No one of them saw the black car that was parking further down the road. Instead they were talking about their boredom of actually being there._

"_I need to pee," one of them cursed and sneezed. "Be right back." With his automatic rifle in his hand, he walked over to the trees and looked for a spot that gave him privacy but still a good view on the border. He reached out to pull his zipper down and sighed as he felt the much needed release. _

"_Not so big, aren't we?" a low baritone suddenly said next to him. _

_Before he could even gasp, a strong hand clasped over his mouth and something sharp went through his spine straight into his heart. Like a doll the soldier dropped to the ground._

_Above him, Daken gave him a cold look. "Not so bright either…" He headed over to another tree and pressed himself against it. Four to five minutes. That's what he had calculated for the other soldiers to get suspicious. He was sure they'd come with two to check up on their comrades whereabouts. He'd wait until they had walked past him, then stab them from behind. Maybe stab one from behind and attack the other one from the front in case he turned around. The last one, he'd approach directly, let his pheromones do the rest._

"_Come on, come on, come on….," Jubilee whined in the car and made sure the children were still asleep behind her. "Hurry…" She slumped further down again as the remaining three soldiers gave the wood a look and had an exchange, before two of them entered it with their weapons ready. "Damn…"_

_Behind the tree, Daken smirked satisfied. People were just too easy to read. He pressed himself closer to the tree and listened in to the conversation, his claws ready for the attack._

"_Rick?" one of the men barked and used the lamp that was attached to the rifle to search for his missing comrade. "Where are you?!"_

"_Probably jerking off…," a female voice commented dryly and Daken would have chuckled, if he could. He could tell he liked her humor. "Rick?" she shouted and made another step forward, not seeing the shadow behind her comrade, who went silently and quickly around the tree, pulling her partner into the shadows. "Why can't you guys just use a normal toilet?! What's so great about pissing on trees?" she cursed and stopped to search between the many trees ahead._

"_Marking territory, darling. It's in our genes," a voice suddenly said behind her and she had hardly turned around that she found herself pressed to the ground, weapon flying out of her hand and mouth covered by another hand. "Hm… You're very pretty," the voice said and her heart began to race in fear. "I'd use the standard sentence, don't make a noise and you'll live, but unfortunately…I can't do that." _

_Daken heard her taking in a sharp breath, one that almost sounded like a sob and considered what to do. She was definitely eye candy to him and he liked her smell. "Hm…," he made and noticed that the last soldier became impatient. He also knew that the stab marks he had left on the bodies were obvious enough. Their enemy would know they had fled to Canada. If he let her live… He heard her breathing speeding up and felt her trying to shake her head; a silent plea addressed to him. Thinking about it, he could find someone like her in any bigger city. "I don't feel generous today. Sorry," he simply shrugged and extended his inner wrist claw on the hand that was covering her mouth. It went straight through her skull and, after some spasms, she went as still as the others. _

"_One more to go…," Daken mumbled and retracted his claws. He got up and went straight towards the closest tree he could use to hide. He focused on the soldier and let his pheromones do the rest. He wanted him to be calm and pushed every button he could access to make the man dizzy with want. As he heard the heart speeding up and saw the man changing his posture, he left the shadow and approached him; a smirk visible on his lips. "Hey, sweetness," he greeted the soldier casually and chuckled when the man failed to raise his weapon, but stared at him with flushed cheeks instead. Daken stopped in front of him, smiling and cupped the man's chin. "I'm sorry but we need to get over that border and you're in my way," he apologized and his eyes darkened when his claws extracted. He didn't bother to watch how the man dropped to the ground and headed instantly back to the car, no reckoning with the man's finger accidentally pulling the trigger as he slumped dead to the ground._

_Jubilee startled as the shot echoed through the night and she was sure the feral had been hit, even if he didn't stumble or gave any sign of it. She watched him sitting back down behind the wheel and only a second later, they were back on the road and finally over the border, away from the madness that the States currently were. "Were you hit?!" she asked him and wanted to have a look at his shoulder, but he slapped her hand away._

"_I'm fine."_

"_But I'm sure you were hit!" Jubilee insisted._

"_Too loud!" Jamie complained from behind them and rubbed his eyes tiredly, adding a whiny noise to it._

"_Go back to sleep!" Daken told him and concentrated on the boy._

"_That mutation of yours is scary!" Jubilee commented after the boy was asleep again. "I bet that's your way of getting people into your bed, too!"_

_He snorted. "Only when they are straight and I want them to do something for me, sweetheart."_

_She gave him a look. "Right… Mr. Loverboy," Jubilee mocked and pulled her legs close, her eyes back on the road. The sky was suddenly blue again, the sun where it actually belonged and she would have been happy about it, if it wasn't for everything that lay behind them. "I hope they are fine…," she said more to herself but received a look for it anyway._

"_Why shouldn't they?" Daken said and moved his aching shoulder blade. They had to pump gas soon. He would head for the restroom and try to get that damn bullet out._

"_Are you not even worried a bit?" Jubilee asked him. "I mean maybe they didn't even survive that mission, maybe they were shot down or who knows what else happened to them! Maybe our enemies have them, are torturing them or have already killed them," she began her angry rant and glared at him. "How can you not care?! Your siblings and lover were inside the mansion when it was blown up for fuck's sake!"_

_He sighed and shook his head. "Are you done?" he asked coolly and made her narrows her eyes even further._

"_I really don't get why Paul sticks to you. Really! You don't give a damn about anything but yourself!" she accused him and crossed her arms._

"_Exactly."_

"_He might be dead!" Jubilee tried a different tactic but Daken shrugged._

"_Can't change that then, can I?" he asked and she wanted to punch him._

"_You…," she began but was at a loss of words. "You are so pathetic!"_

"_Am I?" he asked and smirked arrogantly at her._

"_Yes, you are!" she insisted and glared out of the window when he stopped at a gas station._

"_Pump gas. I need to go the bathroom," she heard him saying and left the car instantly to do so. The fury within her was so strong that she wanted to punch the car, or anything else close by, preferably him. To her it was not understandable how he could not care. Their home was gone, their friends were either dead or missing or captured or whatever else and he didn't care. It made her angrier than she had ever felt before._

"_I'm hungry," she heard Rachel in her head and tried to give the girl a smile._

"_I'll give you something in a sec, Ray," she promised the girl and noticed that they didn't have any money. "Oh damn…" Not knowing what she could do about it now, she sat back down on the passenger's seat and rummaged in the bag that lay between hers and Daken's seat. "Here's a sandwich and some water."_

_Taking the things from her, Rachel looked out of the window. "Are we already in Canada?" she asked and received a nod, while Jubilee searched the front for anything they could pay the gas with. "So how much longer do we have to drive until we meet daddy?!"_

_Jubilee froze and turned around to give the girl a confused look. "Who told you this?!"_

_As an answer Rachel pointed out of the window and at Daken, who sat back down behind the wheel and drove off next._

"_We didn't pay!" Jubilee cried and took a look back at the gas station that disappeared behind them._

"_Don't worry about that," he grunted and held his left arm close to his chest. The itching and pain were going on his nerves. _

"_Don't tell me you killed the owner!" Jubilee whispered and stared at him in shock when he gave her a look back._

"_Do you actually think I kill everything that moves?!" he asked back._

"_Yeah!" she nodded and made him roll his eyes._

"_Are we there, yet?!" Rachel asked and looked to and fro between them._

"_No, not yet," Daken replied and heard her sighing. He remained silent for a while and watched the redhead through the mirror. He knew the girl was a telepath and teke as her mother and that the children shared a bond with their parents, so he guessed that she could pick up on their father's mental signature. "Rachel?"_

"_Hm?" she asked and he smiled at her._

"_How about playing a game? Would you like that?" he asked and received a look from Jubilee._

"_You sound like a perverted old man that picks up young schoolgirls!" she told him and looked back out of the window after receiving a warning glare. "Creep!"_

"_What kind of game?" the little redhead asked._

_His attention was back on his younger sister. "The one who picks up on our father first wins."_

_The girl frowned. "But what's the prize?!" she demanded to know and made him chuckle._

"_I don't know. You can choose," Daken shrugged and she nodded okay. "Good. But no cheating!"_

"So we traveled all the way to Alberta and to the Wood Buffalo area. We spent days just driving around and tried to find you. Then Ray suddenly said she picked up on Logan," Jubilee shrugged, still looking at her hands. "I tried to get that bullet out of his shoulder but it was stuck too much. I knew he wasn't feeling well but he hid how bad he actually felt… If I had known it was that bad…" She gave Logan an apologetic look.

"Not yer fault, kid."

"Well, we went through the wood and I could already see the house on the hill when he suddenly collapsed. He scared the hell out of me and Rachel," she went on and hugged herself at the thought.

"_What's wrong?!" Jubilee asked and knelt down next to the feral, who was lying in the snow, sweat visible on his skin and his chest heaving and falling quickly. She looked up when Rachel began to whine. "It's alright, Ray. He just stumbled, don't you worry!" she tried to soothe the girl, who held on to Jamie's and Kazuki's hands. "Come on, get up! We're almost there!" As hard as she could, she tried to pull the feral up and managed to do so. Still, he collapsed again after a few steps only. "Damn it, come on!" she cried and reached out to cup his cheek with one hand. She gasped in shock at how hot his skin was. "Why didn't you tell me you had a fever?!"_

"_What's wrong with him?!" Rachel cried and watched them with fear in her eyes. _

_Considering what do to, Jubilee looked at the estate and then at Daken, who was heaving deep and way too fast breaths. She didn't know what to do. She could neither carry the feral, nor leave him behind. Rachel had said that Logan was close by so he had to be in that house. "Ray, listen," she began and put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll play another game, okay?"_

"_No!" the girl cried and shook her head quickly._

"_Listen. Your daddy is over there, in that house," Jubilee went on and pointed at the estate. "I need him to come here and help me with your brother. He's not feeling too well and needs to be brought to the house, okay? So we need to call for your daddy very, very loudly. Do you understand that?" she asked and received a nod. "Jamie, you love shouting for daddy, right? So on three we shout for him as loudly as we can, okay?" Nodding at them, she counted to three and they began shouting their lungs out over and over again. When no one came, Jubilee started cursing under her breath. "Damn you, Logan…"_

"_Why is daddy not coming?!" the little redhead asked and received a shrug. _

"_Maybe… Maybe he's occupied or sleeping and didn't hear us…," the woman guessed, since it was way past midnight in the end. "Ray, you need to do me a huge favor, okay?" she said after a moment of looking at the man next to her. "You need to take Kazu and Jamie and walk over to the house. Tell them to come here and help me with your brother."_

"_No! I don't want to go alone!" the girl cried and shook her head quickly. _

"_Ray, listen," Jubilee tried it once more. "I know you're scared. I know it's difficult and that you are tired, but I really, really need you to go and get help, okay? Come on, you're a brave girl. I know you can do it!" she begged her and received a weak nod that was accompanied by a sob after a moment. "Good. Just don't let go of Jamie's or Kazu's hand, okay? You can do it!" Worriedly, she watched the girl heading of with the two boys, who didn't liked to be dragged through the snow like this. All of them were tired and exhausted and freezing. When Rachel reached the gate, Jubilee knelt down next to Daken and placed his head into her lap; angry tears visible in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you were so sick, you….you asshole?!" she sniffed and stroked through his longer hair. "Damn you…"_

"_No, Kazu, stay here!" Rachel yelled but the boy headed off and disappeared in the dark somewhere behind the house. _

"_Gone…," Jamie said and wondered why his sister was so upset. "No cry!"_

"_I want daddy…," the little redhead sobbed and wiped her tears away. _

"_Daddy's there!" her younger brother said and pointed at a window to their opposite side, beginning to drag her into that direction._

"_Jamie, Kazu's over there!" she protested and pulled him into the other direction again, much to his dismay._

"_NO!"_

"_We need to find Kazu, Jamie!" Rachel insisted and dragged the crying boy with her. She was glad when she heard voices and saw light behind a backdoor. Speeding up, she entered the room, panting, and was surprised to actually see Hank and Jean-Paul, who already held Kazuki close. Not knowing what else to do, she began to cry and went to hug her Godfather's leg._

"_Ray…," Hank said astonished and pulled the girl into a bear hug. "My God… How did you get here?!"_

"_What's going on here?" Steven suddenly asked and, looking drowsy, gave the children a confused look. Behind him some of the Avengers and X-men were standing, having woken up due to the noises Miloh was making in Logan's room. "How…did the kids get here?!"_

"_We don't know," Jean-Paul said and still held his boy as close a possible._

"_Ray," Hank tried and pulled Jamie up with his free arm. "How did you get here?"_

"_Where's daddy?!" the girl sobbed into his shoulder instead and clung to her uncle for dear life. "I want daddy!"_

"_I'll go and get him, sweetheart!" Ororo tried to soothe her and ran quickly upstairs, shouting for Logan._

_It didn't take long and the white wolf stormed into the room, tail wagging and jumped up and down in sheer happiness to see two people of his pack again. The room filled with his howls and low "woofs", until an annoyed voice behind all of them demanded to know what the hell was going on._

"_Daddy!" Rachel cried out and wiggled out of Hank's grip to head for the surprised feral, who could only stare at her and Jamie in shock. _

_He stood like frozen, looking at them, his mind completely blank while his heart was racing. His senses told him this was real, not another dream and he was definitely not sleeping either. Slowly, Logan lowered himself to the ground and cupped his daughter's face, staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. It took a moment for his mind to click and understand the situation, but when it did, he pulled her as close as possible and couldn't help but cry in relief. When Hank let Jamie down and the boy headed over to his father next, found himself pressed against a strong chest and wondered why his sister and father were crying now._

"_No cry!" he demanded and heard Logan chuckling before he was kissed. "Ew!"_

_Some of the Avengers exchanged surprised glances. They had never ever seen the mighty Wolverine crying before and didn't know what to make out of the situation. Especially those ones that hadn't known their former teammate actually had children._

"_Ray…," Logan began and had to clear his throat, "did mommy bring you here?" he asked hopefully but his hopes were crushed when she shook her head and hid it again in the crook of his neck. "Who did then?" When she began to mumble incoherent things into it, he was about to ask her to calm down and tell him then, but the backdoor went open with a bang and a very upset Jubilee appeared._

"_Why is no one coming?!" she almost barked at them, her voice mixed with anger and tears._

"_Jubes…," Bobby gasped and didn't waste a second to run over to her and pull her close._

"_Bobby!" she sobbed and clung to him as if she was drowning._

"_Do ya want me t'dispose of him?" An annoyed Creed grunted and pointed at the rather lifeless figure over his shoulder. _

"_Who's that?!" Cap asked and tilted his head to have a look at the man._

_Logan wouldn't have recognized his son with the longer hair either, if it wasn't for the scent the man wasn't suppressing for once. "What happened t'him?!" he asked Jubilee, who, still leaning tiredly against her husband, turned her head to look at him._

"_He was hit by a bullet. I couldn't get it out," she croaked and tightened her grip. "That idiot didn't tell me he was that sick!"_

"_He wouldn't be sick if it was a normal bullet…," Hank mumbled and went over to have a look at the dazed feral. "Victor, be so nice and carry him over to the living room. Put him on the couch, please!" he said and went to get some equipment._

"_Why should I?!" Creed growled displeased, but did as he was told. Still he wasn't all too gently as he dropped Daken on the sofa. "Whoops… I'm so not sorry!"_

"_I wouldn't have recognized him…," Tony whispered into Cap's direction, who could only nod. "From the look on your face I'd say you're very happy to see him again."_

"_You can bet on it…," Rogers said and made room when Hank went past him. His eyes fell on Logan, who still held his two children close and he could tell he had hardly ever seen his old friend being so relieved. It made him happy._

"_That looks bad…," Hank suddenly said and all heads turned into his direction. _

"_He's shaking…," Jubilee sniffed and received a nod._

"_No wonder considering how high his fever is… I need you to hold him down. I can't reach it," the doctor said and gave John a look and was about to peel the soaked shirt from the feral's shoulders, as this one suddenly spun around and nearly stabbed him with a claw. "Jesus! Hold him down, damn it!" Hank cursed and Logan gave Ororo a nod to take care of the children. He didn't want them to see this._

"_I'll be right there, okay?" he told Rachel, who didn't want to be separated from him again, and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek._

"_Come on, you look exhausted," the weather goddess said and pulled her and Jamie up, whereas Northstar handed Kazuki over to Kurt._

_In the meantime, Hank tried once more to attend to the wound, was sure John had Daken under control this time, but as soon as he only came close to the wound, the feral tried to growl and fought against both of them._

"_I thought he's sick and weak!" John cursed while trying to get the upper hand and was awarded with a long scratch._

"_It's instinct," Logan explained and tried to help him. "He thinks he's in danger." But even if he tried to get through to his son, the man was too agitated as that it was of any use. "Paul," he said in the end and the speedster, who had watched the whole scene from afar up to now, came slowly closer. He knew how dangerous the feral could actually become in a state of being half awake. "Tell him to calm down!" _

"_But watch his claws!" Hank warned the speedster and was surprised that Daken actually looked into his direction. Still, he was sure the man could hardly see anything at all. "It'll be already difficult enough to treat him…"_

"_Now, I'm sure psycho-boy will react to his sweetheart…," Tony commented in a hushed voice and was elbowed by Pepper. "What?"_

"_Don't be so mean!" she reprimanded him and watched how Jean-Paul knelt down in front of the feral, but still kept a safe distance in case Daken lashed out at him next._

"_Hiro…?" he asked in an as calm voice as he could come up with at the moment. To his surprise the man turned his head slowly into his direction. "It's alright. You're safe…" Carefully, he wanted to reach out but the feral was actually quicker and moved closer into his direction, away of what he thought were his enemies._

"_See? I was right! He likes his sweetheart," Tony mocked and gave Pepper his best I-won-you-lost-smile. She could only roll her eyes._

"_That's good, hold him!" Hank said and waited for Daken to hold on to the speedster, before he acted quickly and pulled the bullet, that had been lodged between shoulder blade and ribcage, out. _

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* * *

_

"His fever's nearly gone," Hank told Logan, who dragged parts of a dead elk into the kitchen. "Jesus… Where did you find that one?!" he said impressed and got up to help him.

"Was about time after one goddamn week," the feral answered to the first. "Ran into that fella up the river. Still it's getting' hard t'find food." He began packing the meat pieces into the makeshift fridge that Tony and Reed had set up.

"True…," Hank nodded and looked out of the window. "Creed's gone again?"

"He's in the wood. He hates bein' here."

"Well, you, too…"

"Yeah, but I didn't have an abusive father," Logan grunted and washed his hands when he heard Miloh howling upstairs. "That freakin' dog…"

Hank chuckled. "Well, he's happy to have his best friends back, isn't he?"

"Yeah…," the feral nodded but sounded all too happy, which his friend noticed.

But before Hank could say something, Pepper entered and handed him a small pot. "Tony said you wanted this?"

"Yes, thank you." Taking it from her, Hank looked at the pot and read through the ingredients.

"What's this?" Logan asked, crossed his arms and leant back against the wall.

"An ointment for inflammations," Hank explained. "I want to try if your son's wound heals better with it. The bullet did some good damage. He was lucky that his bones have a natural metallic compound…" His eyes fell on the room next to the old kitchen. "I think he's waking up…"

Surprised and curious, Logan looked around the corner and noticed that his son was moving indeed, as if he was about to wake up any minute. "About time…," was all he could say.

When he opened his eyes slowly, he took his time to look around the unfamiliar surroundings and kept as still as he could. He didn't know where he was, the scent was unfamiliar, the noises, too… How did he get here?! The last thing he actively remembered were them being on the streets and looking for the others. When someone came closer, he tensed up, kept his fists clenched to strike in case he needed to defend himself. How had he gotten here? Who had treated his wounds?

"You're finally awake?" an all too familiar voice asked and he gave the man a confused look. "How are you feeling?" Northstar asked concerned and touched the feral's cheek to check on the temperature.

"Where are we?" Daken asked drowsily and tried to sit slowly up but was stopped by a hand touching his chest.

"You shouldn't get up so fast. We're in your father's old house. You traveled all the way up here but collapsed on the outside," Jean-Paul explained and received a frown. "Hank said you've been very sick and nearly killed yourself. You scared the hell out of Jubilee and the children." He got up. "I'll get you something to drink."

Watching him retreating, Daken sat slowly up and looked around the unfamiliar house. It had changed the last time he'd been here to place a notebook for Sinister in the basement. The house was somehow brighter and tidier. He ran a hand over his face and felt how he became tired again. He hated feeling weak…

"Here," Jean-Paul said and handed him the water while he put a small pot on the table next to them.

"How are you feelin'?" Logan asked his son and gave him a concerned look.

"Tired…," the younger feral replied and watched Hank closely, as the man began examining him.

"Pulse is fine, temperature still warm," he said matter-of-factly and nodded at the bandages. "I'd like to examine your wound. Paul will put on the ointment since I know you hate being touched by others." When he began his work he felt how tensed the feral became and thought once more that whatever Romulus had done to the man, it went deep to the bone. "It's not as red anymore but still not healed completely," he let Logan know, who nodded. "Still your healing factor should kick in soon again. Your system is just messed up because of the sepsis and carbonadium poisoning. Just be patient." He got up to get fresh bandages and handed Northstar those. "When you're done put one of those bandage pads on the wound and tape them with those bandage tapes. You might want to massage his back a bit. His muscles must be sore from lying around all the time." Getting up, he patted Logan's shoulder and winked at the speedster. "Just don't be too wild."

"I'm not!" Jean-Paul sulked and watched them retreating. "Then lie down and let me know when it hurts," he said and took the pot from the table before he straddled the feral's hip to have a better access. "Your shoulder really looks much better," Jean-Paul noticed while doing what he was told to do and finished treating the wound, his hands then massaging the back. "It's not that red anymore…"

"Hm…," the feral commented and lay on the couch, arms wrapped around the pillow his head was resting on.

"Does it still hurt?" the speedster asked.

"No…," Akihiro mumbled, eyes closed and snuggled closer to the pillow.

"That's good…," Northstar nodded and went on with the massage. He noticed how relaxed and calm the feral was. When he was done massaging the muscles on the shoulder blades and went down the ones next to the spine, he looked up after receiving a content sigh from the feral. Stopping what he was doing, he leant forward a bit to have a better look at the man's face. It looked content and relaxed. Something that was very rare for the feral. "You're tired, huh?" he asked gently and stroked through Akihiro's hair.

"Hm…," came the sleepy reply.

"Then sleep," Jean-Paul said, placing a kiss to the feral's bare shoulder before he contemplated about what to do. In the end, he pulled the blanket behind him up, lay down on the man's back and hugged him as good as he could in the current position. "I missed you…," he whispered and kept his weight off the wounded parts. His hand reached up to rest on the feral's arm while he closed his eyes, too, sleeping well for the first time since the attack.

**Happy Birthday to April! In the end, I managed to make it your birthday gift. ; )**

**I'm sorry for the long delay. I had such a writer's block. : ( I'm glad that I could finish the chapter before college starts here again. Thanks to all the persons that reviewed the last chapter. I'm so glad you liked it. Please, let me know what you think!! See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

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**Finally…an update. I'm sorry for the delay!**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 3**

"Is that cute or is that cute?" Jubilee cooed while watching the two men sleeping on the couch. "Too bad I don't have a camera here…"

"He'd kill you!" Elektra replied, referring to the feral, who just turned his head back into their direction in his sleep. "It's impossible how good-looking he is… Logan really had a blast on the day of his creation."

"Yeah, and who owns him?" Jubilee asked, crossing her arms. "Mr. Super-fast-and-not-so-bad-looking-either. Men are so unfair…" She pouted playfully. "They always have to take the best things for themselves."

"So true…," Pepper nodded, thinking about someone particular and sighed at the view in front of her. She blushed when Akihiro suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her first, then raised his head a bit to look behind him, obviously confused about his position.

He reached out to shake the speedster, who was still peacefully sleeping on the feral's back, but gave up in the end and wiggled off the couch without waking the other man. He then stood up, stretched like a cat and left the room, followed by the eyes of the women that scanned his bare back, down his spine and stopped at his lower backside with a heavy sigh. Unseen from them, he smirked. He knew they were watching him and was moving lasciviously on purpose. He loved playing games, he couldn't help it.

"Yeah, so unfair…," Jubilee grumbled. "Wolvie is a show off even in making babies…"

"I'd still love to know what his mother looked like," Elektra commented next. "I mean he has inherited Logan's physique, but his face… He just looks so androgen." She looked to the right and followed the feral's moves back to the sofa, didn't figure out that he was putting on a show on purpose, where he shoved Northstar carefully aside and lay back down next to him, then turned to take the man's hand and pulled the arm around his waist, clutching the hand to his chest unconsciously. "Still so pretty…," she sighed and had thought she had said it quietly enough, nevertheless, Daken gave her a brief look before he got comfortable again and closed his eyes.

Still, he felt like being watched. "I know I'm hot, but it's rude to stare…," he mumbled and made the women blush.

"I forgot to mention that he's a total jerk!" Jubilee told them and nodded. "I mean… I would know! In the end I had to travel with him for three weeks." For emphasis she crossed her arms.

"Two and a half. Any longer and I'd have gladly committed seppuku…," Daken snarled back, showing his dislike openly. "Annoying brat…"

"Arrogant jerk!" she returned the favor and stuck out her tongue at him, which he saw.

"As I said… Brat!" He turned his head slightly when he heard someone sighing heavily behind him.

"I'm trying to sleep here…," Northstar complained and rubbed his eyes tiredly. With a heavy sigh he sat up and ran both hands over his face and through his hair.

"You look ready to topple over," Elektra noticed worriedly. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I am to the first and… I don't know. When he got here or so," the speedster mumbled, leant back against the backrest of the sofa and closed his eyes. His head felt ready to explode, he needed sleep and that pronto.

"That was about a week ago!" Jubilee said, eyes wide and looked at the feral. "See? He nearly kills himself to take care of a jerk like you!" she told him and received a look for that comment. "Cold hearted, ungrateful jerk!"

"Well…," Daken began calmly and his voice was dripping with sarcasm, "he could easily sleep if someone specific finally zipped it."

Smiling sweetly at him, Jubilee leant forward and rested her chin on her hands. "Well, then why don't you finally shut up?" she challenged and her smile widened when his eyes narrowed to slits.

"God… I'm glad I didn't have to travel with the two of you…," Northstar mumbled and rubbed his eyes before he closed them and rested his head against the backrest again.

"Why are you sleeping on a too small couch anyway?" the feral demanded to know since he only needed to move a bit to the left and he'd land on the floor.

"Because I had the choice between being Creed's neighbor or the couch… So I chose the lesser evil…"

Huffing, Daken shook his head and thought about what to do. In the end, he gave the carpet a dismissive look and decided against sleeping on it. He had slept at worse places, he knew that, but considering that the air was already rather cold, he figured that the ground would be worse. And his pride was another random factor, of course. He didn't do floors. That's it. So instead, he tried to cope with the limited space he had. In the end it was nice and warm. "What are you waiting for?" he asked and looked at the man in front of him that was now sitting between his legs and was still trying to get back to sleep. "I'm cold…," he lied, knowing that he would usually get a hug. Still, once more his pride wouldn't allow him to say it out loud.

"That's not the room temperature, sweety, it's your character!" Jubilee teased him and was flipped off. She kept smiling at him, even as she watched how Northstar settled back into the feral's arms and closed his eyes tiredly. They had both just gotten comfortable again, were zooming out the noises the women made and Daken ignored the footsteps that were coming closer. He only wanted to sleep and be taken care of for once.

"Boys…," a deep voice suddenly said behind them and made both men look up. "There's an empty room on the second floor. Ya can't sleep on that couch with two people," Logan said and supported himself with both hands on the backrest of the sofa, looking to and fro between both men. "C'mon. Ya need sleep."

"Is Creed anywhere close by that room?" Daken asked and Logan shook his head. "Good. Get up!" he ordered and patted the speedster's back, making the man sitting up reluctantly.

"Isn't he nice? Such a sweetheart?" Jubilee commented with a shake of her head and watched both men leaving for the upper level.

"Has anyone of ya seen Victor?" Logan asked and crossed his arms. When they shook their heads he cursed. "Just great…," he said more to himself and headed for the first window he could find to look outside. The estate was empty except for the children playing in the snow while Bobby, Peter and Kitty watched over them.

"My hubby doesn't happen to be on the outside?" Jubilee asked and joined Logan at the window, who pointed into the garden. "Of course he is…" She tilted her head to have a better look around the corner and noticed something. "Creed is over there by the way," she pointed towards a spot at the far end of the estate. "At least it looks like him. Who else would be dressed all in black around here?" She thought about her statement for a moment and looked towards the stairs. "Okay… Your darling of a son maybe." When her eyes returned to the spot where Logan had been standing only a minute before, she began to frown. "Wolvie?"

"He left after you mentioned Creed," MJ informed her and stretched. "I'd do anything to have at least a radio or pocket TV…"

"Isn't your sweetheart working on it?" Elektra asked Pepper, who blushed crimson red.

"Tony is not my sweetheart!"

"Okay, then your lover, boyfriend, soon-to-be-husband…," MJ joined the teasing and giggled when Potts sank deeper into the couch. "Come on, there is so a thing going on between the two of you. It can't be any more obvious."

"I…don't know what you're talking about….," Pepper replied, cleared her throat and got up. "Excuse me!" She quickly made her way to the kitchen in hope to be safe of any Tony-involved-statements, just to run into the man himself.

"Pepper! Good to see you," her "boss" said happily and beckoned her to come over to him. "I need your help."

"What…," she began and looked at the mess on the floor, where he was sitting in the middle of it, looking like a little boy in midst of his toys. "Tony… What is this?" she demanded to know and looked from cable to cable to things she couldn't even name.

"This?" he asked innocently and looked at the mess he had made, then shrugged and gave her one of his charming smiles, knowing that there was no way in hell she would reprimand him, if he did so. In the end he was THE Tony Stark. Good looking, charming as hell. Which woman could say "no" to his killer smile and looks? "Oh, this! Well, it's….a TV. At least it kinda was a…TV."

Pepper watched him shrugging once more and eyed the so called "TV" a bit more closely. It was way too small to have been an actual TV, she knew there was only one flat screen on board (and that Cap would kill Tony if he only dared to look at it) and…where was her Blackberry anyway? "TONY!" she screeched and pointed at the technical remains on the ground with a shaking hand. "This…this…is NOT my Blackberry!"

He looked at it, tilted his head and shook his head quickly. "This? No!" he gave a brief laugh, shook his head once more but swallowed as her eyes narrowed to slits and her cheeks became red. "Yes…," he admitted barely audible and made a quick step back.

"You…" Pepper still pointed at the mess and was at a loss for words. "You…"

He went quickly over and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Pepper, see it like that," Tony began and tried to sound as convincing and charming as possible. "We are in the middle of nowhere, there is no service anyway, you can't call anyone in the US either… The thing was only good for playing Sudoku on it."

"I liked playing Sudoku on it!" she sulked and tried to shrug his hand of, feeling angry as hell.

"Pepper… I can buy you dozens of Blackberrys, I can buy you anything you want, flowers, chocolate, a pool, a kingdom, a planet," he listed and zipped it when her murderous glare fell on him once more. "Okay, maybe not a planet, but…" He shrugged and thought about what to do. "Look… If you ever get bored and since you can't play Sudoku for the time being…" He began and she already began to cock an eyebrow at him, "you can play with me until we can go and buy a new phone, okay?" he offered and wondered why she was blushing crimson red. "Oh… Well, I meant NOT playing in THIS kind of way… Not that there's anything wrong with it. I mean… Of course WE wouldn't do that and…" He swallowed and thought about what to do. She was the only woman on this planet who made him nervous like hell and he was always at a loss of words when she was around.

"You…owe me a new phone, Mr. Stark!" Pepper mumbled to ease the tension between them and went to get a glass of water before she looked out of the window. She could tell his eyes were on her back and thought her heart would burst in her chest.

"Pepper…," she heard him saying in a dead-serious voice that made her heart skip a beat and her grip tightened on the makeshift glass in her hand, but they were interrupted by Parker.

"Oh, hey!" the man greeted them, went over to get something to drink, froze on the spot and looked to and fro between them. "Am I interrupting something?"

"NO!" both quickly said, a bit too quick as Parker figured.

He grinned. "So much tension, huh?" he teased them. "Well, just go on with whatever you were doing. Pretend I'm not here." He used his threads to get a cup from the shelf and filled it with water, then left again but not without another chuckle.

"I…should go…," Pepper said more to herself and aimed for the door, ignored Tony calling her name once more and headed quickly upstairs, where she leant against the door to the room the Avengers shared. "Calm down. Everything's alright," she began a mantra and heaved a deep breath. She didn't look aside before she heard someone walking past her, looked up just to meet rather cold eyes and felt herself shuddering at that intense look. "Hi…," she greeted nevertheless, received a barely noticeable nod and watched how Daken looked up the staircase, obviously looking for something. "Can I help you?"

He scanned her from head to toe, leant back against a nearby wall and crossed his arms. "You…_may_," he corrected her and tilted his head, eyes on hers.

Pepper was once more fascinated that he could look so handsome but intimidating at the same time. He was one of those men that you just noticed, even if they were just passing by and not even looking at you. "Well, what are you looking for?" she asked and dared to come a bit closer, noticed for the first time that they were about the same height. At least if she had to guess she would say he was about 5'11''.

"A library. I'm bored," he replied in the low baritone that was his voice and made her shudder. It was one of those voices you could listen to for hours, a voice that could read a phone book to you and you would still hang to every single word; warm, soothing but so intimidating at the same time. "At least I think my father's family must have one around here somewhere." Once more his eyes darted up the staircase to the upper floors and he felt her eyes on his face again. "Staring is rude. I thought I said so before," he said without bothering to look at her and sniffed in hope he could pick up on old paper. But in this house everything smelled old.

"I'm sorry," Pepper apologized and brushed back her hair. "You're just…very handsome and have an interesting facial structure." What was supposed to be a compliment earned her a rather cold look.

"I know that," he replied, making her feel like a stupid school girl. "So… Have you seen any library of some sort or not?" he asked once more, biting back a comment about wasting his time.

"There should be one on the third floor. At least Tony said something about books," she informed him and earned a cocked eyebrow.

"Your lover?" he asked and smirked when she blushed.

"He's not my…"

Daken waved off and was already heading for the stairs to their right. "Scent says otherwise, sweetheart. You've got the hots for him and he for you. Just get over it," she heard him saying on his way up and blushed deep red once more.

On the third floor, Daken stopped in the middle of the corridor and took his time to look around. He wondered why Romulus had never told him that he actually came from a very rich family, that he was in fact what he had always told him, a prince. His eyes fell on a portrait of some sort and he went over to brush the dust from it. It showed a woman with dark, nearly black hair and blue eyes. She was familiar… The picture to the left showed an old man, white hair, harsh, cold eyes that stood next to a rather young man, dark hair, blue eyes that seemed to sparkle with life even on a dead picture. In front of them was a boy, also dark hair, hazel eyes, looking unhappy. He guessed it was his father, his grandfather and great-grandfather. Looking at the portrait for a while, then paying attention to the one of the woman again, he began to wonder if his father had been as unhappy as he had been during his childhood.

His father, or rather foster father, had been a kind man, had always treated him like his own kin, had taught him everything about his native culture that he needed to know and hadn't been one of those men that didn't think beyond borders. He had learned about the Romans and Greek, had taught himself their languages and had been fascinated with their way of war… His eyes looked up to look at the woman in front of him. He was sure he knew her… Still, he didn't like her eyes, it reminded him of his foster-mother who had treated him kind in front of her husband, but acted cold towards him whenever Akihira hadn't been around. She had made him feel everyday that he was a mongrel, a mixed-raced waste of space and had no place with them. He hated her…

Shrugging the thoughts off, he looked to the left and right. The mansion was huge and it was hard to track down the faint smell of old paper and dust. It seemed to be everywhere. In the end, he aimed towards the corridor on the far right and stopped in front of a huge double door. He guessed it was either another ridiculously huge bedroom or… After taking a look inside, a satisfied smile spread across his full lips and he closed the door behind him. He had known there was a library around and the huge amount of books inside didn't cease to fail to impress him. He walked casually through the rows and looked at the titles, brushed off the dust and stopped here and there to have a closer look. In the end, he took several that seemed to be interesting and he put them on a dusty carpet that was close by. He had just sat down, cross-legged, and opened the first, as something solid fell on his head and came to a rest next to him. His hand picked the dusty book up and frowned at it. It wasn't like the others, not printed but handwritten. After a brief look inside, he figured that it was a diary of some sort. Leaning back again, he eyed it for a while and thumbed lazily through it until a name caught his attention…

_June 24 1904_

_James is finally feeling better and was allowed to go outside again. He has such a hard time with his allergies and is still always sick._

_The old man Howlett was having another fit yesterday, saying that a boy so sick and weak could never ever take over the estate one day and that he would ruin it. I don't like him._

_We went to the river and…_

Daken cocked a surprised eyebrow. He hadn't known that his father had been a sick child and obviously he had been right that the old man was an ass. Still, he wondered who had written this diary. He pulled it closer to his nose but knew he wouldn't be able to pick up on anything. The handwriting clearly indicated that it was a woman, rather a girl considering the mistakes. Skipping a few pages, he went on reading.

_August 2 1904_

_Dog was hiding the whole time through. James was already worried and told me that he bet his father had beaten him again…_

Daken frowned and read the two sentences over and over again. So his grandfather was either beating a dog, beating another person or… He read on and his frown turned into a full fleshed glare.

…_when we found Dog, he was hiding from his father. I can't stand the gardener. Thomas Logan always looks mean, is drunk and picks fights with everyone on the estate. Last week, I saw him meeting Miss Elisabeth in the garden. I wonder if Mister Howlett knows about the affair…_

He knew _who _that gardener was. Thomas Logan aka Romulus aka his father's biological father aka his true grandfather. So Romulus had a son. If he was right then this Dog could only be Creed. Daken smiled at the thought that Creed had gotten what he deserved as a child. He guessed that the woman on that portrait was this Elisabeth… Taking his time, he read through the entries and learned things about his father's past he hadn't known before. If they shared one thing in common then it was a shitty and messed up life. Thoughtfully, he turned the next page.

_December 2 1906_

_James's birthday. I'm sitting next to his bed while he sleeps. He is sick again with a high fever. Dog is here, too. Hiding once more from this brute of a father. His right eye is swollen and he has another ugly bruise on his cheek. I feel sorry for him. His father really is a bastard… I didn't tell him but last night I heard him calling for help. I guess it has something to do with the food Mr. Howlett has given him (Mr. Howlett is always so kind to everyone). I wonder if that's the reason why Logan has been so mad at him. I'm scared. That man is a bad sign… _

_There are people talking on the outside…. It's the gardener and old Mr. Howlett. They seem to have an argument about something important…_

Daken turned the page and figured that she must have written this entry way later than the first page. He read through the quickly written lines, his eyes turning from curious to wondering to surprised and he began to frown deeply. This couldn't be right, could it?

He turned back to the beginning of the page, read it over and over again, his heart beating quicker. This couldn't be right…

Not thinking twice, he grabbed the book and the ones next to him and headed downstairs, nearly bumping into Daredevil, Bucky and Hawkeye on the stairs.

"What's the matter with him?" Murdock asked and was glad Clint had caught him.

"That guy is nuts. Does he need a reason?" this one asked back and watched Daken disappearing in the kitchen.

"Oh, it's you…," Tony said rather disappointedly and startled when the feral dropped the book on the old table with a loud _thud_.

"Where's my father?"

"Out to hunt, I guess. In the end we need something to eat," the Avenger replied and frowned at the device in his hand. "Why is this not working?" he cursed and looked at the sketch he had made once more, startling again as Daken pulled it down.

"Hunting where?" he demanded to know and glared at his opposite.

"I don't know. I'm not his nanny," Tony replied and pulled his arm back. "What got your panties in a bunch? Trouble with your sweetheart?"

"Then where is my uncle?" Daken asked next since he couldn't pick up on the man either.

"Which uncle? The nice uncle or the I'm-an-evil-kitten-uncle? I…don't…know," Tony shrugged and gave him an annoyed look. "Hunting with Logan? Making out with his girlfriend? On the outside building a snowman?" He had briefly looked down and realized that the feral was already gone again the moment he looked up. "Is everyone nuts in this place?" he wondered and went over his sketch again.

* * *

Logan heaved a deep breath, hands buried in his jeans and took another look around. He was sick of waiting for a reply, no matter how unreasonable it would be. He looked back at the feral in front of him, who was still glaring daggers at the small cabin in front of him. At least he had stopped pacing like a caged tiger, Logan thought. He couldn't need for Creed to go into a rage and hurt others… "Victor…," he tried once more, for the twentieth time at least and considered reaching out to touch the man's shoulder. He decided against it, knew a wrong move would make the feral blow. "Look, this is pointless… How much longer do ya want t'stay here 'n stare?" he asked and was rewarded with silence again. No surprise there… "'kay. Then stay here, freeze 'n keep starin'!" Logan said after a few minutes if silence and turned around to head back to the house. He was already frozen solid after minutes on the outside without a warm jacket.

"On yer 8th birthday…he bet me t'a pulp coz yer old man gave me a piece of the cake," Victor suddenly grunted and made Logan cock an eyebrow at him. "He always did that. Beatin' me up either with his hands or things he could grab, pushin' me around, tellin' me I was worthless piece of shit or callin' me a cock sucker coz we hung around each other a lot…" He clenched and unclenched his fists, eyes narrowed to slits. "That night…when ya stabbed him… I was glad. Coz ya did what I always were too afraid of… Ya gave him what he deserved…"

Logan walked the few meters over to the taller feral and put a hand on the shoulder. "Why did ya never tell my father about it?" he asked and held the look he was given.

"Coz I thought he'd sent me away, too…," Victor said and his glare was back at his old "home". "I didn't want t'be separated from ya… We're brothers, Jimmy…"

"'n brothers look out for each other," Logan finished and received a smirk. "He wouldn't have sent ya away…"

"I know that now…" Remaining silent for a while, Creed stepped closer to the small cabin and reached out to touch the wood. "I want him dead, Jimmy… Dead fer good…"

"'n that will happen. But we need t'plan carefully, Victor. That guy's no fool."

"Yer son… He spent decades with him, he knows how t'find him," Creed said and received a glare. "Ya know he's the best way t'find him!"

"I won't use my son as bait!" Logan growled warningly and shook his head.

"Why not?" Victor challenged.

"Coz he's my _son_!" Logan seethed and turned to leave again. "Ya don't understand this…"

Creed watched him leaving for a moment. "Why? Coz I _don't_ have a son?" he asked and knew Logan would stop immediately, if he put the intonation on the right word. His eyes were unreadable when his brother turned and eyed him suspiciously. "Thought I wouldn't figure it out, eh?" he asked and narrowed his eyes.

"How long…?" Logan demanded to know, hating how his heart skipped a beat.

Victor smirked darkly and came slowly closer, shrugging casually. "First time I saw him… The scent of yer kid's unique. Ya should know that. Even if ya didn't know before, ya just know it's yers…" He stopped in front of the smaller feral, eyes hard. "Why's she not takin' care of him?"

"What do ya think?" Logan challenged, his eyes now as hard as Victor's. "T'protect him from ya."

Creed chuckled. "What makes ya think I'd hurt my own son?" he asked and his opposite didn't like the strange tone in the man's voice at all.

"Yer really askin'?"

"Right…," Victor nodded and looked at Logan for a while. "I don't care about him anyway…" He looked back at the cabin. "All I care about is t'find that fuckhead 'n kill him…"

Logan sighed. "First, we need t'know _where_ he actually is."

"Ask yer son about it," Creed growled and took the axe next to him.

"What are ya doin'?" Logan asked and cocked an eyebrow as his brother tore the door out of its hinges with one blow. He had _known_ this would happen the moment he had stopped behind Creed. Considering whether to stay or not, Logan crossed his arms and watched how Victor tore the cabin to tiny pieces with the axe or bare hands. He guessed the feral needed it to find his first step to closure. "Why did yer mother never leave him in the first place?" he asked after a moment and Creed stopped, panting.

"My mother?" he asked and received a nod. "What do ya know about her?"

Logan shrugged. "My father told me she died shortly after ya were born…"

This made Creed chuckle and he threw the axe against the tree to his right. "Shortly, huh?" he asked and came slowly closer, eyes narrowed and Logan considered making a step back. "She died when I was three years old."

"Due t'an illness," Logan said matter-of-factly and Creed nodded.

"Yeah. A virus called _husband_," he grunted and Logan cocked an eyebrow at him. "She had brought back a toy from town fer me. When he saw it, he began hittin' her until she stopped movin'…"

"He killed her…in front of ya," Logan said more to himself and nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, 'n I'll kill him!" Victor said determined and took the axe into his hand again. "Leave me alone, Jimmy. I got some business t'do." With that he went on shredding his old home to pieces.

* * *

"What's Creed actually doing there?" Cap asked and leaned further towards the window, watching the feral intently.

"Looks like shredding that cabin. Did someone tell him we need wood?" Tony said but paid attention to his work. "Why...is this not working?" he curses after a moment and made Cap look up.

"What are you doing there anyway?"

Sighing, Tony dropped the device. "I'm trying to build some kind of device that makes it possible for us to actually see what's going on in the States."

"So you're trying to hack into satellite images?" Cap asked and came closer.

"No, it's supposed to work like a TV," Tony explained and picked it up again. "Just…that it's not working…"

"You'll manage. It would be the first time, if it didn't," Cap said and patted his friend's shoulder. He then looked up and narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were sleeping."

"Sleepwalker," Daken replied sarcastically and helped himself to a cup of water. "Is my father back?"

"Haven't seen him," Tony mumbled while eyeing his sketch thoroughly.

"What do you want from Logan?" Cap asked and received a glare.

"None of your business," Daken seethed and the glare was returned by the blond. He turned his head when someone entered and sighed since the person's attention was directed at him.

"I'm thirsty," Rachel said and looked at him with big, green eyes. She waited patiently for her older brother to move but he didn't do so at first. About to say it again, she watched how he finally took another makeshift cup and filled it with water, then handed it to her. "Thanks. Where is daddy?"

"No idea," he grumbled and glared at Tony when this one picked up Jamie, who smiled at the man.

"Hey, buddy!" the Avenger greeted and returned the smile. "Since you're such a smart kid and you're here, look at the sketch and tell me why the device won't work, will you?" he asked and held the sketch up for Jamie to look at it.

"Just because you figured he can set a Rubrick's cube back together with his mind, doesn't mean he can read schematics," Cap said but was waved off.

"Shh, give him time to think!" Tony demanded and pointed at the sketch for Jamie to see it. "See? That's the interior. The cable here goes over here and is supposed to work as a receiver. That bunch here is for the electricity. This one here…"

"No!" Jamie shook his head.

"No? No what?" Tony asked confused and looked at the sketch. "You mean this cable here is wrong?"

"Yeah," Jamie nodded and watched the man scratching the back of his head.

"Seriously? Why?" Tony asked and went over the schematics once more.

"You're not seriously listening to what a two year old is saying about a complicated electrical device, do you?" Daken asked and realized how ridiculous it actually sounded.

"He is very smart!" Tony defended his idea and received a cocked eyebrow.

"Let me shorten my sentence so that your brain can actually cope with that much information," the feral tried once more and received a glare from Cap for the insult. "Two…year…old!"

Playfully looking at him with a huge frown on his face, Tony scratched his chin. "Could you shorten this again, please? I didn't get it. The sentence was just too long," he mocked and turned back to the boy on his lap. "So, you think it's this cable here?" He pointed at it and received a nod. "Hm…"

"Yeah!" Jamie nodded and pointed at a random spot on the paper. "No cable."

Daken snorted and shook his head. "Wow, maybe we should send him to our enemies to save the day, huh?" he mocked and took Rachel's empty cup to put it away. "It probably doesn't work because we're in the middle of _nowhere _without any electricity or anything close to that."

"Go and look for daddy," Cap said and turned his back towards him.

"Hm, I was actually thinking about doing your sidekick," the feral returned the favor and received a glare. "Already getting jealous? That was quick."

"Don't you have anything to do?" the Avenger asked annoyed and held the glare he was given. He turned his head towards the door when it opened first and closed next. "Thank God!"

"What's goin' on here?" Logan demanded to know since the tension in the room was too obvious to him. He smiled at Rachel when she ran over to him for a hug and pulled her up into his arms.

"He was looking for you, daddy," the little redhead informed him and pointed at Daken.

"Trouble?" Logan asked, actually referring to Cap but was surprised with a small booklet that his son held up. He recognized it immediately as Rose's diary. "Where the hell did ya find that?"

"It fell out of the shelf in the library," his son explained and walked over to him. "You should take a look at that entry, father."

"Ya read it?" the older feral asked instead and let go of his daughter when she had spotted TJ in the next room. He then took the book from Daken and read through the entry his son had been referring to. His eyes narrowed first and widened next. "What the hell…?" He looked up and noticed that Daken was standing next to him, that he had been patiently waiting for his reaction. It was surprisingly easy for him to read what his son was thinking in this one's eyes. And they were definitely thinking the same thing. "Where's John?"

"I don't know," Daken replied and was beckoned to follow Logan out of the room.

Cap, who had watched everything could only shake his head and startled when Tony suddenly let out a squeal of joy.

"This kid is a freaking genius!" the man laughed and held up Jamie as if he was mimicking the opening of Lion King. "It works! And it was the cable just as he said it!"

"Tony…," Cap began and shrugged at Pepper when she stopped in the middle of the door, looking to and fro between both men.

"Pepper, I want one of those!" Tony announced and pointed at Jamie, who looked at him with big eyes.

"One of those?" she asked in complete confusion and looked at Cap for help.

"He means a baby. But only one that's a complete genius," he informed her and walked past her, patting her shoulder. "My sympathy."

"Hey,…what?" she said and looked back at Tony, who was still grinning like an idiot and holding up his hand for Jamie to high-five it. "You hated him the moment you met him!"

"Nah, you must confuse me with someone else. That kid is a genius, Pepper. I want one," he said and looked at the device. "Why does Logan has one of them and we don't? That's not fair."

"You did hate him and wanted to…" She paused and her eyes grew wide. "_We_? What do you mean _we_?"

"We? I meant me. I mean I. Me as in I, of course," Tony quickly corrected himself and cleared his throat. "Well… I ehm… I better get back to work, right?" He ruffled Jamie's hair and left before Pepper could say anything else.

"Weird….," Jamie said and she nodded.

"Oh, he so is, sweety!"

* * *

"This is a joke!" John roared after reading the entry for the fifth time and stopped pacing for a moment, just to begin with it again. "This can't be right! She must have heard wrong!"

"It actually explains a lot…," Victor grunted. He was leaning against the wall to Logan's left, while John was walking back and forth on his right and Daken sat motionlessly on the couch, arms and legs crossed.

"It's a fucking joke!" John said once more, directed at Creed. His eyes then darted to Logan, who was sitting on the table and glaring at the book in his hand. He wondered how often his brother had already read through it.

"Still, it explains a lot," Victor replied and crossed his arms, too.

Shaking his head, John ran both hands through his hair and heaved a deep breath. His mind was racing and he could feel the rage building within him. He was sure his eyes were switching between their natural color and red. "What do you say to it?" he asked and waited for a reply. Logan looked up, eyes hard and shook his head. "Nothing?"

"What do ya want me t'say, huh?" the feral asked and put the diary aside but kept his eyes on it. He honestly didn't know what to think. "I never liked him anyway…"

The room was silent for a moment. Daken's eyes switched to and fro between the men and he decided to wait for the outcome instead of saying something.

"How did that bastard dare to lecture us about how important it was to keep away from anyone from a lower class? That such people were scum and not worth our time?" John asked and his fists were clenched. "And then he dares to have a thing with a maid?"

Creed sighed and decided to join Logan on the table. "So… If my father was the result of an affair of yer grandfather 'n a maid… Then it makes him yer," he made quotation marks with his fingers in the air, "father's half-brother, right?" he asked and the only one who nodded was Daken. "Hm…."

"And he dared to actually take him here…," John went on with his rant. "Here, into our house! As if it wasn't enough he cheated on grandma!"

"Explains his jealousy of yer family," Creed commented and received a glare. "What? If he was yer grandfather's dirty lil' secret, he had every right t'be it!"

"He was a bastard. He's not a Howlett!" John snapped back and made Victor chuckle.

"Oh, really?" that one asked and pointed at Logan. "Then he ain't one either. 'n probably neither are ya," he said and received a snarl for it.

"I don't want to interrupt your nice family tree discussion," Daken intervened and both men turned their heads into his direction. "But as much as it pains me to admit it, Romulus is a part of it."

"Yeah, 'n unfortunately ya, too," Creed grunted and received a cold look for it. "Speakin' of bastards…"

"I at least was wanted. Who knows what daddy tried to get rid of you," Daken returned the favor and smirked at Creed, who snarled.

"At least I ain't some worthless mixed raced faggot who no one here gives a damn about," the taller feral growled and made Daken stand up. "Do us all a favor 'n drown yerself, ya waste of space!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Logan roared and had Creed faster against the next wall as this one could realize, since he had been occupied watching how Daken left the room, angrily. "Stop insultin' my son or so help me God, brother or not, I'll cut yer fuckin' head off!" he warned and gave him another push before he, too, left and slammed the door shut behind him. On the outside, he aimed for the closest room, which was the kitchen, and looked inside. "Has Akihiro been here?" he asked and Reed shook his head. "Great…," Logan cursed and leant back against the wall.

"What happened?" Ororo asked, concerned.

"Creed insulted him 'n he left," he replied and tried to pick up on his boy's scent but figured that this one was covering it on purpose. He didn't want to be found that was too obvious.

"Badly?" Heather asked and received a nod. She watched how Logan looked up the stairs from afar and guessed that he was picking up on something. "Upstairs?"

"Yeah," he sighed and ran both hands over his face, then looked aside when he heard someone coming down the stairs.

"What happened?" Jean-Paul demanded to know and gave Logan a rather annoyed look.

"Creed insulted him," he let him know and received a nod. "How bad is his mood?"

"Bad!" the speedster replied. He looked around the room and watched how Miloh headed towards the window, pawns up the window sill and eyes looking for something on the outside. The wolf growled. "What's he picking up on?"

"No idea…," Logan replied and joined the wolf, hand scratching the animal behind his ears while his senses concentrated on the outside. "Don't see a thing…," he told the others and guessed the wolf might have picked up on a bird or something. "Calm down."

"What's a tenshi by the way?" he heard Northstar asking a question directed at him.

"Japanese for angel, why?" Logan asked and turned, arms crossed.

"Kazu kept on pointing out of the window, telling me there was a tenshi in the sky," Jean-Paul shrugged and Ororo began to frown. Her eyes darted towards Logan, who shook his head.

"He doesn't know where we are, 'Ro. Kazu probably saw a bird or maybe Narya went out for a flight."

"But she turns into a snow owl, Logan. Maybe it was Warren," she insisted.

"Warren doesn't know where we are. Why should he be here?" he asked and made her sigh. When his son entered, glaring at him, he wanted to say something but figured that his boy was still too angry about what had been said. Instead he decided to watch him and was once more more than glad that his son had a loyal friend in the speedster. Seeing the two men interact with each other, gave him hope that maybe one day he could sit down with Daken and have a talk. He hated it that he didn't know what his son was thinking or feeling, if he still hated him, if he could ever accept him as a father, if he even wanted him to be his…

"Where's Kazu anyway?" Jean-Paul asked into the round since it was already getting dark on the outside.

"Upstairs sleeping on the bed next to Jamie and Tommy," Ororo informed him and he nodded. "They were too exhausted from playing in the snow."

"I see…," he said and leant forward a bit to rest his chin on Daken's shoulder, his arms encircling the man's waist gently while the feral was chewing on the leftovers from dinner. He noticed that Logan was watching them intently and considered removing his hands again, but when the feral shook his head, he knew it was okay. "Bed?" he asked Daken after this one was done eating and received a silent nod. "Hey, don't let this idiot get to you, okay?" he said and pressed a kiss to the man's temple, receiving a huff. "What did he say anyway?"

"Bullshit," Logan grunted and met his son's eyes. "Yer neither worthless nor anything else he said. Just ignore him."

"Is that so?" Daken asked in a voice that clearly indicated he couldn't care less. He looked at the warily and thought about what he could do. In the end, he was bored and the smiles the women gave them were annoying him. After a moment, he gave the man behind him a look. "Did you say bed?"

"Mhm…. I'm still tired like hell," Jean-Paul mumbled into his neck, eyes closed and pulled him closer. He yelped as he was suddenly pulled off the stool and dragged out of the room.

* * *

His hands were still entangled in the pillow that he had clawed at and bitten into for the past two hours. His chest was still heaving and falling rather quickly, sweat still drying on his bare skin and he felt tired, spend but somehow incredibly… He couldn't tell or name it, had never felt like this before. All he knew was that it was a warm, strong feeling in his chest that made him feel good. He just couldn't name it. But it felt…good.

"Are you still alive?"

He turned his head a bit to look behind him, couldn't find the strength to turn fully onto his back and looked into sky blue eyes. A shudder went through him as lips pressed a gentle kiss to his neck and shoulder before a warm body covered his back again, a head resting next to his.

"Are you?"

"No…," he mumbled and it earned him a chuckle, one that made him almost smile. At least he wanted to but couldn't. He watched lazily how a hand took his and stroked over his skin, wondered once more why his chest felt so warm and what this meant. He enjoyed the comfortable silence that spread between them for a moment. That meant he could clear his thoughts.

"It…was nice, wasn't it?"

He could only nod. To him it had been more than nice but also confusing. He was used to pain and violence, to go at it until he bled and then healed. This had been the complete opposite. He had wanted to scream in pure bliss whereas usually it was in pain. He had never felt so alive and at home before. "Yes…," he finally managed to admit and could tell that the man behind him was smiling.

"I'm thirsty. I'll get us something to drink," Northstar said after another moment of silence and was surprised that he was pulled into a brief kiss, one that he returned after a happy smile. "Be right back."

Still relishing in his high, Akihiro hugged the pillow with both arms and buried his head in it. He still felt confused, couldn't name what he was feeling and began to wonder what this actually meant. Sure, he had enjoyed it a lot, it had been nice, very nice indeed, but still so much different compared to what he was taught and used to. He didn't know gentleness or being with someone just for the sake of it. He was used to violence and being alone. Pain, manipulation and violence were his companions, he knew how to use them, was a master in manipulation, scheming and planning ahead of everyone else. He had been around people since he was born but still he felt like a complete foreigner and outsider when it came to understanding the most common human traits… And being around the speedster just confused him even the more…

"Crap…," he cursed and gave his right hand where he could still feel the familiar touch a thoughtful look. He wondered when he had become so…different.

"So it was nice, hm?"

Daken didn't know whether to startle or freeze on the spot as the dark and low voice spoke to him. His head jerked into the direction of the window, his eyes growing wide. Why hadn't he heard him coming?

"Hm… Well it wasn't nice havin' t'wait until yer bitch was done with ya," Romulus growled and bared his fangs at the younger feral. A snarl became audible in the room as he noticed how Daken reached out to get his clothes from the ground. "Who said ya could get dressed?" he demanded to know and went over; a move upon witch the feral reacted by moving further to the edge, away from Romulus and closer towards the door. "I'm disappointed, Daken. Where are yer manners?"

"What do you want…?" the younger feral asked, eyes never leaving the taller and stronger man that had fun making him back off into the opposite direction, depending on from where he closed in on him.

"I'm hurt," Romulus feigned shock and grinned. "Am I not allowed t'visit my favorite person?"

"Favorite person my ass," Daken hissed, his eyes narrowing for the first time.

"What? Yer still mad at me coz of the wood?" the other man asked and sighed playfully. "I had t'do it, don't ya understand? It was the only way fer ya t'get closer t'daddy 'n his lot. T'get them t'trust ya." Romulus watched how Daken looked away from him and chose to glare at the sheets instead. He knew his puppet was slipping away from him and needed him to go on playing his role in this play. "Daken…," he said as softly as he could and sat down next to the man, who went rigid as he touched him. "Yer my favorite person, ya know that. I only did it t'help ya." For emphasis he stroked over the man's cheek down to his chest. "Ya need t'get close t'yer daddy in order t'get yer revenge, son. That was the only way. Look at where yer now. He invited ya into his old house, he lets ya close." A smile became visible on Romulus's lips as he picked up on Daken's confusion. "Yer my masterpiece, Daken. I'd never risk losin' ya, ya know that, don't ya?" he asked, his hand continuing its exploration and not liking at all that the younger feral was shying away from him. "Don't ya?" he asked more forcefully and his hand grabbed Daken's chin hard to make him look at him.

"Yes…," was all the feral said, nearly inaudible. He hated to have _his _hands on him, to feel _his_ breath on his skin and _his_ body pressing against his own. It felt like suffocating… Still, he couldn't will himself to do anything. He wanted to run, wanted to hide, scream for help but his body didn't listen. All he could do was sit on the same spot and not move an inch.

Romulus's eyes narrowed. "Yes, what? I taught ya manners, didn't I?"

"Yes, master…," Daken corrected and looked away once more when the hand was withdrawn.

"Good boy." Romulus knew he was closer again. In the end, he had trained the child to become the man he was now - cold, lusting for power and violence, lacking everything that was good or human. No moral, no empathy, just a dog that reacted on instinct, was a master in manipulation and used others as he pleased. Daken was his masterpiece, was everything that he failed to turn Logan and Creed into. He had trained the man into loving him and knew that no matter what he did to him, Daken would still love him and regard him as his father. Thinking about it made him smile.

"You still didn't tell me what you want,…master…"

Smirking at him, Romulus spread his arms and looked around the room. "Can't I go out once in a while 'n visit old friends?" he mocked playfully and met Daken's gaze. "What's yer daddy up to?" he demanded to know after a moment and concentrated on what he heard from within the rooms in the house.

"I don't know," Daken shrugged and reached out to get his pants from the ground, startled as his wrist was grabbed in an iron grip.

"Don't lie t'me!" Romulus snarled and narrowed his eyes to slits. "What's Logan up to? What's their plan?"

Once more his eyes gazed at the door, once more he felt confused. Part of him wanted to run, the other part knew he had to stay. He couldn't escape or disobey him, not even if he tried to. And he hated himself for that. "I don't know… They didn't talk about any…plans…," he replied as calm as he could and stopped breathing for a moment as Romulus pulled him suddenly closer. Too close for his liking. He couldn't tell why he suddenly felt sick to the stomach. What was wrong with him? Usually, he never cared…

"Then why didn't ya find out, yet?" his opposite snarled and tightened his grip. "It's not what I taught ya, son. Or did that bitch of yers already fuck yer brain out?"

_He's not a bitch!_ was already in his mouth but he couldn't say it. The rules and manners the man had instilled into him where too strong as that he could fight them. Daken tried to hide his anger by looking away, still Romulus had already noticed it.

"Well… If that's the case then perhaps I should remind ya of who yer loyal to…," he suggested.

"My apologies…," Daken quickly said and automatically lowered his head in submission. "I… I'll find out what their plan is, master…" He closed his eyes as his cheek was patted. Like some stupid obedient dog, he seethed within. No matter how hard he tried, he was stuck on that chain with which Romulus had tied him to himself… He couldn't break free…

"Good boy. I knew I could count on my favorite person," Romulus said and looked at the door.

When he still didn't leave Daken looked at him with a questioning look on his face. "Is there anything else, master?" he asked and felt how his heart skipped a beat as he was awarded by a smile that he knew too well. He hated it, hated himself for not being able to do anything to fight back. The man had trained him too well. Again…like a stupid obedient dog…

"I'm lonely…," Romulus said, trying to sound gentle and reached out to touch the man's face once more. When this one evaded the touch he became angry. "I see…," he growled and grabbed Daken before this one could escape to pin him face down into the mattress. "Yer my bitch, Daken. Ya belong t'me 'n no one else!" he snarled and pierced skin with his claws, drawing blood. "'n I'm very much displeased with yer behavior, son. It seems that daddy, Xavier 'n that bitch of yers got some funny stuff into yer head that needs t'be pounded out." His eyes checked the door once more. "Yer not worth anythin', Daken. No one likes or trusts ya," he mocked while bending over the smaller man, his claws digging deeper into skin. "Ya think that bitch of yers or daddy do? They only keep ya here so that they can control ya. No one trusts ya or will ever care about ya but me. It seems ya have forgotten about that 'n that I have t'remind ya of it."  
"No!"

"Yes!" Romulus growled.

"Please, master! I learned my lesson! My apologies," Daken said quickly, chest heaving and falling as fast as his heart was beating. "I won't disobey again, I promise!"

Smiling at his puppet, Romulus reached out to stroke through the raven black, silky hair. He bent as far down as he needed to say the next things directly into the younger feral's ear. "I know, Daken. 'n since yer such a good boy you'll shut up 'n let me have my fun. In the end, it's been a while, hasn't it? For me at least since ya ain't there t'entertain me anymore, son."

While his heart was bursting in his chest, Daken used the tactic he always did in this situation; detaching himself from the whole situation and waiting for it to be over. When the pain and violence were back, crashed over him like an unstoppable wave, he grabbed the sheets hard and tried to remember how much he had felt at home for the first time just minutes ago, before the monster was back to drag him away from the light and back into the lonely shadows.

* * *

"So what can we do about it?" Reed asked into the round. "We are seriously running out of food and the make up heater out of energy."

"You said the animals are up north?" Cap asked and Logan nodded. "Any idea where we could go?"

"Not really," the feral said and shook his head, staring at the table. "I don't know any places big enough for all of us."

"Headquarters are out of question. I'm sure they've either already been destroyed or are being watched," Tony said next. "The jet is too small to live in it. If it was, I'd say let's fly somewhere nice and warm." He looked up when Northstar entered. "Paul, do you know any places big enough for all of us?"

"No, sorry," the speedster shook his head and filled to cups with water. "No food left, huh?"

"Nope, 'n soon no water either. The heater's running outta energy," Logan grunted and received a nod. "I'd say Japan, but I don't want to bring Ken into danger. They already did too much for me…" He kept on brooding but somehow felt restless. That Miloh was still at the window and growling from time to time, didn't help to calm him down either. "Where's Akihiro?"

"Upstairs. I just wanted to get some water," Jean-Paul replied.

"Aww, had fun?" Tony mocked him playfully and received a look for that comment.

"If you hadn't said it, I would have asked you to join, Tony. Too bad! Chance gone."

"Damn… Doesn't matter. I still got Logan and Cap," the Avenger replied. "We're much hotter than you and your sweetheart."

"Well, it's not you the girls are drooling over," Northstar smiled and winked at him. "Good night."

"That hurt!" Tony called after him. "Pepper, you still like me, right?"

"Of course, Tony. Now focus on the problem again will you?" she sighed and shook her head. About to say something, she startled as Jean-Paul suddenly came running into the room and barely managed to stop next to Logan.

"Romulus…," was all the speedster could say and pointed upstairs, eyes wide in horror.

"What?" Logan asked and was off his stool in less than a second.

"He's upstairs!" Northstar said urgently and his heart was pounding strongly in his chest. "He's…" He couldn't bring himself to say it. "Hiro…"

"Damn it!" Logan cursed. "Get the jet ready 'n everyone inside. Strike team meets on the outside." He headed out of the room, shouting for Creed and John, before he ran upstairs but found the room empty, sheets shredded and blood on it. "Fuck…" His eyes darted towards the window.

"Where is he?" John panted and came to a halt next to his brother.

"Outside," this one replied and aimed for the window, jumping out if it. He landed in the snow, looked around in the dark and found the traces in the white powder. From afar he heard how the group began to evacuate and it didn't take long for Creed and John to land in the snow next to him. Together, they followed the traces, ready for a fight and Logan thought his heart would burst in his chest. He swore that if his son only had the tiniest scratch, he would hunt Romulus down and have his way with him no matter what the consequences would be.

"Jimmy!" Creed suddenly growled and pointed at something at the gate.

Logan gave both of them a sign to encircle their enemy. While Creed headed to the right, John took the left and he aimed for the middle. Behind him, as he could hear, Cap led the strike team towards the gate, backing him up. It was now or never, so he barked for Romulus to stop. Logan's teeth were bared in sheer hatred as he had to watch how Romulus kept his son pressed firmly against his chest, eyes looking back at Logan, sparkling in joy. He wanted to wipe that grin out of that monster's face.

"Why that face, son?" Romulus mocked and brought his face closer to Daken's, the younger feral tensing up and keeping his eyes on the ground. "Did ya really believe Daken's workin' fer ya? Or that he's stayin' with ya?" he mocked and laughed, shaking his head. "Naïve… But you've always been, haven't ya?" His left hand cupped Daken's cheek and brought him even closer. "He's mine. He answers t'me only 'n there's nothin' ya can do about it."

Snarling at the man, Logan clenched his fists in anger. Behind him the X-Men, Avengers and the rest of the groups didn't know what they could do except to watch. "He's gonna stay with us!" he growled in the end and received another chuckle.

"Oh, is he? Let's ask him, shall we?" Romulus asked back and his grin widened as he picked up on how agitated his son was. "Are ya?" he asked Daken next, who didn't reply and chose to remain silent instead. The younger feral couldn't force himself to say _yes_. Nevertheless, the silence angered Romulus even the more, who tightened his grip on the man.

"He's afraid of him…," Jean-Paul said next to John and Cap, but more to himself. He hated seeing his friend like that, knew that he could read the man's body language the best and thought about what to do. How was he supposed to help him, if Romulus kept him so close? He could try running over and snatching Daken away from the man, but the claws were too close to vital points.

"Are…ya?" he heard Romulus suddenly growling more forcefully and began to frown. He startled and froze on the spot at the same time as the man suddenly lashed out, hit Daken square in the face and sent the feral to the ground, blood dripping from a wound that began to heal quickly. "I asked ya somethin'!" Romulus roared and pulled the feral roughly up on one arm, not caring that the shoulder gave weight with a loud _crack_. "Are…ya?" he asked once more and stared Daken down, who panted and gritted his teeth in pain.

When the younger feral looked up and looked directly into the furious glare he shuddered. He would never admit it, was too proud to do so but he was scared shitless. He knew what the man was capable of, knew how he released his fury on others and what would await him if he ever went back. He didn't want to, wanted to be free from the heavy chain the man had put on him. He had enough of being treated like some worthless dog, to be fooled with wrong love and awarded with pain and violence. He had tasted and experienced the other side, didn't understand the feelings but wanted to remain in the light… Still, he was too afraid of saying so aloud… Romulus would shred him or do even worse…

"Hiro…"

Hearing it, he looked aside and met the man's desperate gaze, didn't care that he was shaking or that his heart was thundering in his chest. His focus was on the sky that lay in the man's eyes.

"It was nice, wasn't it?" Jean-Paul asked him and received a brief, weak nod. "Then come here."

Romulus smirked. "Aww… Yer lil' bitch's worried. How cute."

Northstar narrowed his eyes at him. "Well, at least his little bitch doesn't abuse him."

"I don't like yer cocky attitude," the tall feral snarled and received a snort.

"Don't get me even started on you." He looked behind him when he heard how the jet roared to life and knew it was now or never. Turning his head, he saw Logan nodding at him and knew what the man wanted him to do. Still, he feared that the feral would get hurt.

"Well, as nice it was t'have a family reunion at this…historical place," Romulus said, gesturing to the Howlett house, "the more it pains me t'have t'leave now. Say bye t'yer daddy, will ya?" He smirked at Logan and began walking backwards, closer to the wood behind him. He knew he had won, knew the feral in his arm would never say no to him.

"Bye…," he heard Daken saying and his smirk widened. Yes, he had won and his precious pawn was back on his side.

"Good, boy," he said mockingly and loosened his grip a bit.

"Thank you, master," Daken whispered, voice hoarse and extracted his claws on one hand to slam them right through Romulus's right leg, earning a howl from the feral, before he lashed out and left two long and deep gashes in his face. Not waiting for another reaction, Daken quickly turned and headed for the group again, saw that his father was getting ready for a counter attack. Behind him Romulus roared in fury and he heard how the feral headed after him and jumped off, turned his head just to saw how Romulus was already in the air above him, claws extracted and fangs bared. He knew it was too late to react. The feral would slam right into him, if…

Something suddenly grabbed his midsection, everything went blurry and his nerves only calmed down as he recognized the scent. He held on for dear life and clawed at everything he could with closed eyes. When they came to a halt and he realized that they were already in the jet, he gave Northstar a confused look.

"You alright?" the speedster asked in full concern and cupped the man's cheek.

"Where are Logan, John and Creed?" Bucky asked since he was flying the jet.

"Kicking some serious ass," Jubilee replied and pointed out of the window, where she watched how Romulus was encircled by three furious ferals who were in berserker mode and lusting for blood.

"What does he want me to do?" Bucky asked but Northstar shrugged.

He had no idea… When Daken suddenly moved towards the hatch he reached out to stop him. "Stay here!"

The feral snarled and fought against the grip he was in.

"You're hurt!" Jean-Paul cursed. "Damn it, Logan wanted me to get you away from there, so you're going to stay here!" Northstar said more forcefully and wrapped both arms around the furious feral, whose chest was heaving and falling quickly. "I know you want revenge. But not now. Not when you're hurt and still in shock. You're not thinking straight, Hiro…," he told him as calm as he could and held him close. "Calm down, please…"

"Your shoulder needs to be relocated," Hank suddenly said next to them and received a glare from the still pissed off feral. He cringed as Daken did it himself by a quick jerk of his arm and sighed. "I actually meant…" Hank shook his head and watched how the man began to pace instead, still agitated, restless and confused.

"Is it shock?" Northstar asked worriedly and in a hushed voice but before Hank could reply, Daken suddenly sat down in a corner, pulled his legs close and stared out of the window. The speedster didn't know what to make out of this and neither did Hank, who gave him the same confused look. Hank could only shrug and headed over to the window where most of the others watched the fight in the outside.

"He never came here alone…," Hawkeye said and Cap nodded. Both hissed as they watched the brawl, even more so as John, in his ghost form, grabbed Romulus from behind, tried to held him captured while Logan and Creed scratched, bit and slashed at everything available, just to be punched to the ground by a furious Romulus. They weren't surprised as four shadows suddenly became visible in the dark, not even as four turned into dozen copies.

"The devils…," Bucky muttered and raised the jet further into the air. "Tony is ready next to us. What do you want me to do?"

"They are retreating. Be ready for takeoff!" Cap replied and held his shield ready. He and Hawkeye covered the hatch, heard how Logan barked for Creed to hurry up and closed the hatch quickly as all three feral were inside the jet.

"Hurry!" Logan barked into Bucky's direction and went over to the window to have a look at what was going on on the outside.

"Sentinels coming in from the east. Get the hell away from there!" they heard Tony alarming them trough the speaker.

"Buckle in, keep the children close and be ready for impact!" Cap ordered and sat down in the co-pilot's seat, moving the jet away from the house and further into the air. "Damn it…"

"You can say that…," Bucky mumbled and aimed for the woods to their right. "We are too far in the open. There's no way we can get away from them."

"'Ro!" Logan ordered and was watching the clouds on the outside darkening, thunder illuminating the black sky. His eyes were locked on the four approaching sentinels, two of them following the jet, the two others suddenly stopping and aiming at something. "There gonna shoot!" he let Bucky know, saw the beams leaving the hands and small rockets the backs of the robots, heard the impact shaking the earth but the jet was still. "What the…?"

"Jimmy…," Creed suddenly said to his far left and was looking at something out of the window. Next to him stood John, face equally grave and Logan headed over to them to have a look at what they were seeing.

His face became rigid as he realized that his parents' home was gone and only a huge burning pile of remains left. Even if he told himself that he didn't care, that he hated the place and everything that belonged to it, it was still the place were he had been born, a place that he had memories from even if they were more or less bad ones. "Doesn't matter…," he grunted, knowing that it wasn't a lie and put his hands on his brothers' shoulders.

"Incoming!" Tony warned them and flew in front of the jet, hands aiming at the Sentinel in front of them and his repulsors shooting back everything they had. "Those things are different from what we fought against in that facility."

"Do you know what those things are?" Cap demanded to know from Daken, who was still sitting motionlessly on the ground and stared at the wall. "What the hell is wrong with this guy?"

"Leave him alone!" Northstar snapped back and returned the angry glare he was given.

"We could attack them from the outside," Scott suggested and earned a surprised look from his teammate, since it were the first words in weeks.

"Too dangerous," Logan shook his head. "Except… Kurt teleport us t' the wings."

"What are you up to?" Cap asked.

"You'll see," Logan replied before he was dropped on the top of the jet, Scott and Remy appearing next. While Ororo still tried to hit the Sentinels with lightning and Iron Man protected the jet as good as he could, Logan steadied his two teammates.

"Remy…," Scott said in a monotone but demanding voice and received a nod.

"Give 'em 'ell," the Cajun said darkly and threw his cards at the robot that was closest to the jet, whereas Scott took off his glasses and hit their adversary with full force.

"It ain't enough," Logan said after a moment, since the other two were closing in.

"I could load dat ding up," Remy suggested. "Blow it up."

"Too dangerous," Scott cursed and put his glasses back on. "If Kurt doesn't teleport you away fast enough, you'll blow up with it."

Remy snorted. "Doesn't matter…"

"It does!" Logan snarled and glared at him. He knocked on the metal and Kurt teleported them back inside, their clothes soaked from the storm. "Those things are tough." He watched how Iron Man started another attack and was by the laser from the Sentinel to their far left.

"Shit, Tony!" Cap said and watched his friend falling from the sky but catching his fall and using his speed to slam right back into the Sentinel.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" the Avenger replied over the speaker and didn't see how Pepper had her eyes closed in shock. "No crying Pepper," he said anyway and clawed at the Sentinel to keep on its back. "Let's see…. Jarvis?"

"Analyzing, sir."

"Analyze faster!" he replied and turned his head, seeing that one of the Sentinels was taking a shot at him. "Yes, shoot me, buddy!" he begged and let go as soon as the laser was shot. The Sentinel that was hit made a sound, fell a few meters but was right back up. "Son of a bitch!"

"Ask your boyfriend whether or not he knows how to stop them, damn it!" Cap demanded from Jean-Paul in an angry tone and had trouble concentrating on evading the trees at that speed.

After glaring back at the man, Northstar knelt down next to the feral. "Hiro?" he asked in a gentle voice and, after not receiving any reaction, put a hand to the feral's arm. He didn't reckon with him reacting as if he'd been burned and backing off further into the corner.

"What the hell's wrong with him?" Logan asked and came closer, holding onto the seats in order to not fall down, his eyes checking up on his children, who were being protected by Colossus's bear hug. His eyes looked over his son's bare upper body, searched for any injuries but couldn't find any besides that he held one arm close. "Hey…," he said and reached out next but froze when his son evaded once more. His frown turned into a full fleshed glare that he directed at the speedster, who looked away. "Why…didn't you tell me?"

"There was no time…," Northstar mumbled and kept his eyes downcast.

"If I had known, I sure as hell wouldn't have let him get away with it!" the feral snarled and made the man look at him, but let go when he saw the emotions in them. "Damn it…"

"Tony, something's coming up from…"

"I know!" the man cut Bucky off and was still busy protecting the jet, while he suddenly let out a laugh in joy.

"Have you gone crazy?" Cap asked confused since he didn't find the chase funny at all. "Coming up near the North Pole. If they hit us, we'll land in the ocean…"

"That thing is coming closer. What the hell is it?" Bucky asked with panic in his voice and gave the screen next to him looks while he was dodging the attack of the Sentinels at the same time.

"Rhoddy!" Tony laughed. "What the hell are you doing here, buddy?"

"No time to explain," the addressed replied and Cap let out a sigh in relief.

"It's Rhoddy, a friend of Tony's," he informed the group before the actual question hit him. "What on earth is he doing close to the North Pole?"

"I don't care as long as he takes care of those things," Bucky replied.

Logan turned his head back to his eldest and put a hand on Jean-Paul's shoulder. "If he'll react t'anyone it's ya," he grunted and received a weak nod. He then got up to take Rachel and Jamie into his arms and sat down next to Kurt and Colossus, his eyes still on his son. He watched how Northstar said his son's name once more and reached out to make the man look at him, actually bringing him out of his stupor a bit.

"Hey…," the man said and stroked over the feral's cheek, not reckoning with Daken to wrap his arms around his waist and curling up on his lap. His eyes found Logan's and he could only shake his head. Jean-Paul pulled one leg up, put his arm on it and rested his head on it, eyes looking away while his hand stroked through the feral's hair and his mind cursing Romulus for destroying the work of months. He knew he was back to square one with the feral.

"What's wrong with him?" Kitty asked and received a dark look.

"Don't even ask…," Logan grunted and looked away, startled as the jet suddenly shook. "What's wrong?"

"We lost control!" Cap cursed and tried to get the jet back under control. "Tony, the jet's not responding anymore!"

"Oh, don't worry my suit neither!" came the sarcastic reply.

"What the hell?" Bucky asked and typed in commands but they were still sinking. "Did they catch us?"

"Obviously…," Cap cursed and buckled off to get his shield. "Prepare for a fight!" he told his team.

"Ya, too!" Logan told his.

"Oh, with pleasure!" the Thing said and cracked his knuckles.

"Jarvis detected strong magnetic waves. My guess is we're pulled down by them," Tony informed them and discussed what they saw on the outside. "Sentinels are retreating because…"

"Because what?" Logan asked.

"…they informed their base they lost contact?" Rhodey replied. "Tony?"

"No idea…," the Avenger said and looked down. "There's nothing but water."

"Can't see a thing either…"

"If our enemies caught us, the Sentinels would still be pursuing us," Cap said and gave Reed and Logan a look. "Something's not right here."

"No kiddin'," Logan grunted and held his two children protectively close. "No matter what, prepare for a fight!" He looked out of the window and saw their surroundings darkening before it became unusually light. The jet suddenly stopped with a hollow _thud_ and the hatch opened by itself, the jet's engines and machine shutting down. "I don't like this…," he grunted and handed Rachel and Jamie over to Jubilee and Kitty. "'n I don't like it either how calm the kids are…"

Cap, shield in front of him, made a step forward and looked out of the hatch, Hawkeye with his arrow ready behind him. "We're in some kind of hangar. There's another jet… It's deserted…" He heard the loud steps of Iron Man and War Machine on the outside, who were both observing the area.

"Clear!" Tony said and Logan gave his group a sign to stay back.

He then left the jet, claws out, with some of the Avengers and some of the X-Men. They encircled the jet in order to serve protection and prepared for an attack. But it didn't come.

Instead, a double door to their left opened and someone approached them. A person that made most of their hearts stop and left them staring at it in shock and confusion…

**I know, I know. I made you wait long again but those of you, who follow me on Facebook, know how much of a b**ch this chapter was to write. I'm sorry that it took so long but I'm finally at the point where it will become easier. Thanks to all of you, who have left a review and thanks for waiting so patiently! You guys rock! **** See ya!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**I hope there are not too many mistakes in this. It's almost 6 a.m. and I can't sleep.**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 4**

Ororo was getting suspicious. Since Jean had returned to the pool she was smiling like an idiot, but refused to tell her what had happened between Logan and her. Even three days, then four days and in the end five days didn't make the redhead spill the secret. Now, while they were having breakfast in the kitchen she was trying to spoil the children with her best chocolate chip pancakes and tried her luck again. Jack, however, was shaking his head.

"No, mommy and daddy told us not to tell anyone," he said and her face fell.

"Especially you!" Rachel added while chewing on her pancakes delicately.

"Oh, come on!" the weather goddess cried and look up as someone snickered in front of her. It was said redhead, clearly amused. "Jean, please! Tell me what's going on!"

"No way, 'Ro," Jean laughed and gave each of her children a kiss on the cheek. "And don't even try to bribe my kids, they won't tell you anything! Isn't that right?"

"Yeah," they said in unison and grinned at Ororo. "We won't say a word!"

"Unfair!" the woman sulked. "Will you tell me at least the thing Logan has to do for you that left him all grumpy yesterday?"

Jean laughed. "Oh that…," she said and sipped on her coffee. "Well, Logan was so stupid to promise me something on our wedding day…"

"Which is?"

"To look the same on our ten year anniversary," she answered and smiled into her cup, her smile turning into a giddy giggle as a frown became visible on Ororo's face.

"Ohhh!" the weather goddess made as realization hit her. "You mean he's going to…." She pointed at her face and her, squealing as Jean nodded. "Really?!"

"For the whole trip."

"What's daddy doing, mommy?" Rachel asked after listening to the two adults.

"You should see in a moment, baby," Jean smiled and stroked through her daughter's long red hair.

"I'm finished. Can I go outside?" Jack asked.

"Me too?" Laura and Lily added.

"Sure. But stay where I can see you, okay?" Jean said and sent their dishes to the sink with her powers. "What about you, Ray?"

"I wanna wait for daddy and see what he did!" the girl said determined.

"Daddy and I won't leave before we gave you a proper goodbye, baby, so you can go outside and play. There's still enough time," the older redhead smiled and watched her daughter running after her siblings. She looked outside the window, her smile turning into a smirk as she picked up on Ororo's thoughts. "I still won't tell you!"

"Oh crap!" the weather goddess cursed, making room as the others entered the kitchen and sat down on the empty stools. "His mean side clearly rubbed off on you," she teased the redhead, who giggled and greeted Akihiro as he came into the room, a phone attached to his right ear.

"Trying to get her to tell you where they are heading?" John asked and received a nod. "Forget it! Logan doesn't even tell his own brother about it…" He watched his nephew talking on the phone and sighed. "Lovebirds…"

"Hey!" Narya gave hima gentle shove. "Don't be rude. They haven't seen each other for…"

"Three days?" John finished for her and received a glare as Daken put the phone into his back pocket, handed his son the breakfast he was making for him and then poured two mugs of coffee. "I bet his sweetheart will be here in less than a second anyway." His head shot up as the backdoor opened and a more than Northstar entered. "See?" he grinned at Narya, who rolled her eyes and watched Jean-Paul pulling his son up to hug him and kiss his cheek before he went over to Akihiro, kissing him and giving him a tired, but thankful smile as he saw the coffee mug for him.

"You look like shit!" she told him as he was snuggling into the feral's embrace.

"Thanks, that's exactly how I feel," he said and hid a yawn, resting his hands against Daken's chest and looking up at him. "I've got to go back tomorrow."

"What?! Why?" the feral asked disgruntled and made a step back.

"Another shooting, some meetings and we're thinking about expanding to Europe. So I might have to travel there soon," Jean-Paul explained and could tell his significant other didn't like what he was telling him at all. "I don't like it either…"

"Then don't do it."

"I'm the boss. I have to do it." He ran both hands over his face and sighed. "I'm beat. I'm going to bed. What will you be doing?" he asked and angry dark brown eyes met his.

Daken moved around him and headed for the backdoor. "Sulking…," was all he said before he shut the door behind him

"Great… Thanks for talking," Jean-Paul muttered.

"What did you expect? He missed you," Jean told him. "He was even moodier than Logan on a bad day since you left."

"I missed him too, but what am I supposed to do? My work's in Canada, he's in New York. I can't always travel back and forth without a break. It's already taking a toll on me." He ran a hand through his hair, annoyed, and moved to the back door. "This sucks…"

Ororo watched him leaving and whistled. "Trouble in paradise…"

"With that much traveling back and forth? Definitely," Kitty added and dropped her spoon as she realized who was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and glaring daggers at all of them. "Oh….my…God…"

"What?" Ororo asked and turned around, just to nearly drop off her stool. "Goddess…"

"One word… Just one…'n I'm gonna kill ya!" Logan warned them and rolled his eyes at Jean's big smile. "Happy?"

Getting off her stool, she went over to him and ran her hands through his short hair and over his smooth cheeks. "Very!" she said and pulled him into a kiss.

"Damn, and I thought I switched off the lawn mower yesterday. Sorry for that, Logan," Scott teased him and hid his grin behind the newspaper.

"Fuck ya, Scooter!" Logan snapped.

Scott put the paper down and looked at him, then shrugged. "Looking like this you're not really intimidating."

"How about I rip ya a…," Logan began and paused for a moment, his eyes staring blankly ahead of him and a frown becoming visible on his forehead.

"Logan?" Jean asked concerned and touched his cheek to make him look at her. "What is it?"

"I feel…," he began and suddenly began to grimace, his body becoming engulfed in light. He only heard Jean saying his name as everything went dark around him.

Alarmed, everyone had jumped off their stools, but had to cover their eyes due to the light blinding them. They blinked as it became less first and was suddenly gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"What the…," Scott began and paused as he looked at the scene in front of him.

"Did it work?" Logan, sporting his typical look, asked and looked at the dark haired man next to him.

"Yeah," this one nodded and looked at Jean, who was staring at both of them in shock. "Hi mom."

Looking behind him, Logan smirked. "Hey darlin'. Sorry for crashin' the party," he apologized and looked into the round. "Everyone's here? Good."

"What the hell is going on?" Scott asked and his eyes darted aside as the Professor, who had obviously taken notice of it, entered.

"Hello Logan," he greeted and smiled at the younger man next to the feral, "Hello Jamie. You've grown a lot since the last time I've seen you. How old are you now?"

"22," the man said shyly and gave the round a quick glance.

"22?" Jean gasped and quickly calculated in her mind. "So you're from 2037…," she muttered and Logan nodded. "Is something happening?!"

"He's back. Apocalypse I mean," Logan told her and Jean's eyes grew wide. "It ain't bad. Not yet," he quickly added.

"But?" Charles asked, concern echoing in his voice.

"He slipped out of our grasp," Jamie replied. "We were able to locate him, but he has help. I managed to read him though."

"_Read_ him?" Ororo asked.

"He can analyze mutants just by lookin' at 'em. One look 'n he sees their while history," Logan explained.

"But why are you here?" Jean asked, still confused, as Logan suddenly saw something on the outside and his eyes seemed to widen in shock. "Logan?" she asked and watched him walking over to the window, still staring at whatever he had seen. "What's the matter?"

Logan turned and stared at Jamie wide-eyed. "How far back did ya send us?!" he growled and his son averted his gaze. "Jamie?!"

"It's July 25," Jean said and Logan's eyes were on her now. "2018…"

"2018?!"

"Yes, what's the matter, Logan?" Scott asked and received a brief, but very shocked look from the feral before the man was staring outside again. Moving a bit to the side, Scott noticed that he was looking at his eldest, who had obviously made up with the speedster, and was currently sitting under a tree, Northstar napping with his head on the feral's lap. "Why are you so surprised to see your son?"

"Did something happen to Akihiro?" Charles asked, sensing that something was wrong, but Logan remained silent.

"I…," Jamie began after a moment of silence and looked down after Logan looked at him, "…heard you talking to mom. I know how much it still affects you. That you have nightmares…"

"So?" his father growled, clearly on the edge.

"So you can make it right, dad. You can prevent it!"

Logan huffed and shook his head. "Wasn't it ya who told us that things like this should never be the reason t'misuse one's power? T'not mess with timelines?" he asked harshly.

"Yes. Exceptions to be made," Jamie replied. "And this is one…" He looked outside, looking at the older brother he never got to know. He couldn't remember him at all. "You know I'd do anything to save Tommy's life, but I can't… If I save him, your grandchild will never be born. So I'd be killing one life for another. It's not the same with you, dad. In fact, you'd be saving lots of lives…"

Ororo who had listened to Jamie suddenly felt cold, a chill running down her spine. "Did you just say Tommy?" she asked and he stared at her as if he'd completely forgotten about her being here. "_My _Tommy?! My son?!" she asked, feeling terrified. She exchanged a look with Kurt, who was as shaken as she was. "What happens to him?"

Jamie bit his lower lip and shook his head. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"The hell you can!" she snapped at him and Jean stepped in front of her son.

"'Ro!"

"What happens to my baby?!" the weather goddess demanded to know, but Jamie remained silent. "How can you not care?"

This made his head snap up, his eyes blazing golden for a brief moment. "You think I don't care?!" Jamie asked and his hands were clenched to fists at his sides. "I'd give my life for Tommy. I'd do anything to get him back!" he said through clenched teeth and ignored the looks he was given. "But saving him would also mean that my son, your grandson, would never be born. So what am I supposed to do, hm?" His head jerked aside as said boy came into view and his breath hitched. Ororo watched how Jamie first stared at her son for a long moment, before he bent slowly down to pick Tommy up and held him in his arms as if he was the most precious thing on this planet.

"What happens to him, Jamie?" she asked and he looked at her with tears in his eyes. She heard him heaving a deep, shaky breath. "Please…"

"Some…guy with a knife. I can't tell you more, sorry. You already know too much," he apologized and looked at Tommy again. "I miss you so much… Everyday just sucks since you're gone," he whispered and heaved a deep breath before he handed Tommy over to Kurt. Wiping his eyes, his eyes fell on his watch. "6 minutes, dad!"

"Why is he so shocked to see Akihiro?" Jean asked her son.

"'coz I had t'put him down…," Logan said like a robot and all eyes were suddenly on him.

"Why? What happens that you had to do this?" Charles asked and wheeled closer.

Logan watched how his son was now talking to Jean-Paul and laughing with him. "He completely lost it after…," he began and broke off. "He killed a lot of students at school, got three of the X-Men next. He escaped 'n disappeared for a while. We couldn't find him. He then blew up the Fantastic Four's and Avenger's mansion, killing six superheroes and dozen others employees with it. Fury got pissed 'n sent S.H.I.E.L.D. after him, but he just laughed at them. Talk about a massacre in the streets." He sighed and shook his head, looking down. "In the end, I tracked him down. There was no getting' through t' him. I had t'kill him. Before he died he thanked me for doin' it…"

Jean felt her heart racing in her chest and looked from Logan to the couple on the outside and back. "Why would he do something like this? He's completely stable now." He looked at her and she knew. "Something happens to Jean-Paul…," she guessed and he nodded. "Of course… That would send him over the edge."

"When does it happen, Logan?" Charles asked, but before he got a reply the backdoor opened and the speedster entered.

Feeling watched as he made his way over to the fridge, Jean-Paul pulled two bottles of juice out of it and looked into the round. "What?! Sorry that I pulled my shirt off," he muttered with a shake of his head and went back to the door, mumbling something about 'weird people'. His hand was touching the doorknob as Logan addressed him.

"Just an advice, kid. Don't board that plane…"

Northstar gave him a confused look. "Are all of you drunk or something?!"

"Repeat what I just told ya!" Logan snapped with a glare.

"You don't want me to board a plane that I don't intend to board. Whatever it is you've been smoking throw it away!" the speedster said and left to join his partner again.

Logan sighed and, after one last look at his eldest, turned back around to face the group. "'kay… Since Apocalypse isn't really back here, yet, ya should still start lookin' for him. The earlier ya take him out the better. He should be a kid at this point of time. Correct?" he asked and Jamie nodded, then pointed at his watch.

"1 minute."

"Find him 'n kill him! Don't risk that he becomes that powerful again," Logan warned the group and felt the pull on his body. "Damn…" He looked at Jean. "Did we already go on that trip?"

"No… We were about to actually," she replied.

"'kay."

She groaned. "Don't tell me catastrophes happen and ruin everything…"

Logan smirked and began to glow. "Nah, it was fun. You'll love it! See ya in a bit!"

Jean shielded her eyes as the light began to blind her. She blinked as its intensity lessened and soon found herself looking at an annoyed looking Logan, who was rubbing the side of his head. "Are you alright?"

"No. I barely opened my eyes when ya knocked me out," he grumbled and took notice of the strange mood in the room. But before he could ask a look at the clock reminded him how late it already was. "Shit. Jeannie, we have t'hurry! Whatever happened, tell me on the way," he said and headed upstairs to get their luggage, whereas Jean called their children to her mentally, deciding that it might be better to tell him _everything_ after their trip…

**Since I can't sleep I decided to write this short chapter as an in-between-chapter. It's needed to set up future events that I had planned a long time ago and the next chapter will solely concentrate on the Paris trip. I'll be travelling to Rome tomorrow (by flying… And I'm already scared shitless….) and have to study for an exam, so it might take a while for me to write the next chapter. Keep your fingers crossed that the trip will go well! And thanks to all that left a review. It made me really happy. : ) Let me know what you think! Suggestions for the Paris trip are always welcome. : ) Please review! See ya!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**If you ever wanted to ask me something, use this page and send in your questions ^^:**

http: / / www . formspring . me / DPRDaniela

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**Scottjunkie:**** Here's your wish. I used the sentences you sent me and hope you like it! For everyone else: Her first wish is included in the very first scene! (she wished for the "Tony, only girls are allowed to do that" etc.-dialogue)**

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**Snake Eyes****: Let's say I'm worried about First Class. I liked Singer's idea about focusing on Xavier and Magneto and their relationship. And up to know they mentioned way too many new mutants. So I hope it won't be another X-Men 3… : ( But yeah, we'll see. I'm more looking forward to Wolverine 2 and Japan. ^^**

**Oh, and I added the scene you wanted in your review!**

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**Here's a picture of my Itsu and Daken. I think it's easier to imagine them while reading, if you actually have a picture:**http: / / yfrog . com / f1dakenitsuj

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FIXED THE FORMAT PROBLEM.

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 5**

She was watching… How he was fidgeting around in boredom, how his eyes darted back and forth in search of something to do, how he picked up random things, looked at them just to put them away again. Then he sighed, just to start the whole process again. She could easily tell he was bored, knew that he hated to sit around without anything to do. But right now, she couldn't care less. She had a mission. Her eyes darted back towards the woman in front of the mirror. "I think…"

"It looks great!" Tony cut her off and Pepper gave him a look that spoke volumes. "What?"

Only able to shake her head, Pepper turned back towards the woman in front of the mirror, who was looking at herself. "It doesn't suit you, MJ."

"It does! It looks good!" Tony disagreed and frowned when Pepper sighed loudly. "What?"

"Tony… This is a girls' thing here, okay?"

"So?" he shrugged.

"So, you're not part of it. Zip it!" MJ said for the at least fifth time and looked at Pepper again for help. "I don't like the color anyway…"

"But girls are allowed to do that!" Tony protested, arms crossed and eyes on them.

"You…are _not_ a _girl,_ Tony!" Pepper smiled and patted his arm.

"Oh…" He shrugged, acting as if he didn't care and looked away. Internally, his pride was hurt.

"I could help ya with that," a low baritone suddenly said through the speakers of the phone Pepper was holding in her hands. It was Victor, who was standing next to Logan and was grinning devilishly at him, nails extracted and indicating a cut with them; the younger feral wanting to make sure they were safe on their shopping trip. In the end they couldn't share clothes any longer and were sent off to buy some in small groups.

Smiling back at him, Tony tilted his head a bit to look at the man. "Only if you let me play with your Polly Pocket collection later, sweetheart," he mocked and Creed was now glaring at him. "Now tell me, why is Logan allowed to help Jean, because I bet he was allowed to do it, but I'm not allowed to help you?" he demanded to know and looked at Pepper and MJ expectantly.

"Because…," MJ began and looked at Pepper, who had given Logan an approximate time when they'd be back and was just putting the phone back into her purse, for help.

"He's her husband," the other redhead concluded. "And besides… You picking clothes for a woman means low front and even lower backside. And we need everyday clothes. So thanks, Tony, but no."

"Well, I wanted to go to Venice with you," he sulked and she groaned. "This sucks, Pepper! I always picked nice gowns for you to wear. You said so yourself!" he defended his taste and she sighed once more.

"You actually gave me money and told me to go and pick a gown, Tony. That's not exactly the same…"

"Then…I picked them indirectly and you were still always looking good!" He smiled, self-assured. He looked around the shop and then back at her. "But I can pick something for you now, Pepper, right?"

"Yes, Tony… A shirt or so will be fine…," she gave in just so that he had something to do and tended to MJ again.

"How about underwear?" he suggested and received a warning look. "Yes? Alright. I'll be right back!"

"TONY!" Pepper screeched but he was already gone and looking through some things that she might like. "Oh my God…"

"You are so in trouble!" MJ laughed and finally decided to take the blue shirt instead of the colorful one. "Well… I'm done. It's your turn now." She sat down on the stool and waited, watched in the meanwhile how Tony was still going through the underwear, while Jubilee and Kitty tried on clothes in the booth next to them. She was glad to finally get new clothes for herself. The sharing clothes had become quiet the problem lately. She looked to her left and was surprised when Daken slumped down next to her, of course not looking at her at all. She contemplated talking to him but before she could do so, the curtain went aside and Pepper reappeared, wearing blue jeans and a plain shirt. MJ took her time to look at her. "I think it looks good."

"No, it doesn't…," said a hoarse voice next to her and both women looked at its source. On his stool, Daken leant back against the pillar behind him, arms crossed behind his head and his eyes were looking her up and down.

"Excuse me?" MJ asked, perplexed.

"You could wear more color. This looks plain boring," he said matter-of-factly and cleared his throat when his voice became too hoarse.

"O…kay…," Pepper mumbled.

"What else do you got there?" he asked and cocked an eyebrow at her mostly black, grey and white clothes. He shook his head.

"Not good?" the redhead asked and received another shake of his head. Disappointedly, she gave the clothes a sad look. "What do you suggest then?" she asked and he smirked.

"Do I look like your personal dresser?" Daken asked. "I don't care what you wear. I said it doesn't look good."

"Men…," MJ sighed with a shake of her head. She only heard how he got up and before she could realize it, he was already gone. "He's so odd…"

"But so handsome…," Pepper sighed and groaned when Tony reappeared, hands full of underwear.

"Here. You can thank me later," he said proud of his work.

She was surprised that he actually picked stuff that she would wear. But somehow the thought about her boss knowing what kind of underwear she would like, gave her the creeps.

"Is something wrong?" he asked and looked at the pile in her hands.

"No, no…," she shook her head and turned to enter the cabin again, as some more and colorful clothes were thrown over her arm, she gave Daken a surprised look. "Uhm, thanks…," she mumbled and entered the cabin, noticing Tony's shocked look.

"Hey, why is HE allowed to help you but I'm not?" he asked and looked at Daken, who had sat back down, smirking at him. "You _are_ a girl in the end, aren't you, Mr. Prettyface?"

"Want to have a look?" Daken asked.

"You're offering?" Tony asked back, sweetly and sat down next to him, deliberately getting playfully closer. "Oh, that's too sweet of you. Here and now or later? What will your sweetheart say about it?" He didn't reckon with Daken suddenly leaning in and pulling his face very close towards his own, lips curled into a sweet smile.

"Whatever you want, gorgeous… Here, later, alone, in a threesome?" the feral said huskily and Tony got quickly up.

"Ehm… Pepper. Gotta check on her…," he stuttered and pointed at the cabin behind him. "Pepper? I've been molested!"

"What did you do this time?" Jean-Paul asked and held two dress shirts in black and blue and two dark blue jeans in front of the feral. "Last ones in your size," he said and pushed the feral from the stool to sit down himself. "You and your narrow waist… Let me know if you have trouble with your hands!"

"Narya did an amazing job with his hair," Elektra said and joined the group. "It looks really good on him."

Northstar covered his mouth and pointed at the curtain. "He knows…," he whispered and she giggled. But he had to admit that she was right. Narya had indeed done an amazing job on Daken's hair, which had simply become too long. It was now short in the back, longer at the sides, overall layered cut and he could still gel it in a way that he could have his trademark mohawk, if he wanted to. But the feral went with straight hair lately, knowing that it looked damn good on him and enjoying the show.

Pepper, who was looking at herself in the mirror and ignoring Tony's question on the underwear, MJ, who sat on the stool next to Jean-Paul, and the man himself looked up when the curtain went aside and Daken reappeared, bare chest and jeans hanging low. Their eyes traveled from his well-defined pecks, down his equally well-defined abs, looked at his tribal dragon tattoo that covered the left side of his pecks and went down his abs, down his left arm and over most parts of his back and their eyes came to a halt at his narrow waist. They didn't notice how he looked to and fro between them through the mirror and smirked.

"Fits…," he said hoarsely and woke them up from their daydream.

"Huh?" Northstar made and Tony, who had watched the whole scene groaned.

"Does anyone have a bucket and mop? Too much drool over here!" he said aloud, shaking his head.

"I said…it fits," Daken replied and gave them, mostly Northstar a look.

"Are you done staring at his ass and can we finally go back home?" the Avenger asked the group slightly annoyed.

Daken sighed and crossed his arms over his lean body. "Someone feels really threatened, hm?" he mocked and Tony gave him a look. "I don't care about your girl."

"I know, you've got your sweetheart anyway," Tony mocked but was deadly serious and wanted to wipe that smirk out of Daken's face. He knew it was an act the moment this one went over to Northstar and hugged him from behind, still smiling provocatively at him.

"Then why so worried?" he asked as sweetly as possible with his hoarse voice and leant his head on his friend's shoulder. "I need help with those buttons, sweetness."

"This guy…," Tony growled and watched how the men disappeared in the cabin. "He got out of his shirt and old jeans all by himself and all of a sudden he can't dress himself anymore?"

"Someone is jealous!" Elektra sing-songed, then giggled. "So, do we have everything?"

"I think we do," MJ nodded. "Boys, hurry up and no dirty things in there!" she called but the door was already opened.

"Damn, just when we were going for it," Northstar mocked and piled the clothes over his free arm.

"I so knew you were!" the redhead teased him and they headed for the check out together.

Afterwards they left the store and went towards the exit, Tony having put his cap back on and keeping it low in his face in order to not being recognized. They had to keep under the radar and went through the mass of people around them, trying hard not to get noticed by anyone. They had just passed Starbucks and were aiming for the escalator as Jean-Paul's hand was taken and he was pulled into a stop. He gave the owner of the hand a confused look.

"Do we still have a minute?" the feral asked and nodded at the bookstore behind him.

"Sure, go ahead," MJ shrugged with a smile and watched him leaving.

"You do realize that this might take a couple of hours, right?" Northstar asked her and followed the group to Starbucks next to the store, where they sat down.

"Let him have some fun. At least he's more talkative towards us than he usually is today," she replied and they ordered coffee. While they sat and waited she took her time to study the Canadian. Never before had she realized how blue his eyes were. That he was handsome was obvious of course but his eyes were pretty much mesmerizing. "It's a waste, you know…"

"Hm?" he made and turned his attention away from another guy, who was waiting for his coffee.

"That you are playing for your own team is a shame!" she repeated and made him laugh, joining him in it. "Did you never try a woman?"

"Once, yeah…," he nodded and leant back in his seat. "Don't bother to ask how it was, we were both completely drunk…"

"Men…," Pepper groaned.

"Ah, ah, ah! He said BOTH as in she, too!" Tony corrected her and made Northstar smirk. "It's not always us!"

"But mostly or why else do you think I have chronic headaches?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Potts!"

"You sure as hell do, Mr. Stark!" she returned the favor and both didn't realize that they were sitting in exactly the same posture as the other: arms crossed, left leg on top of the right leg.

"I'm waiting for the day when the two of you will finally give in…," Elektra sighed and went on looking around the mall, then her eyes came to a rest on the Canadian again. "The two of you are cute," she said and smiled when Northstar blushed a bit. "And I'm waiting for the day, too, when the two of you will finally admit that you're a couple. Because you SO are." He shrugged innocently and looked at his cup instead. "Besides…he's giving me signs that you should come over to him."

Northstar turned his head and got up, knowing exactly what the problem was. He had the money. "How much?" he asked and followed Daken towards the check out but froze when he heard the actual prize. "Did you buy the whole store?"

"No, just these," the feral said matter-of-factly and pointed at the books he was carrying.

Jean-Paul could only shake his head and read the titles when the saleswoman scanned them in, feeling annoyed by the smiles she was giving the feral, who completely ignored her. "Latin, Italian, Chinese, Greek….," he tilted his head and read the next titles. "You don't speak Korean or French!"

"Not too well, yet!" Daken smiled self-assuredly and took Jean-Paul's wallet to pay for the books, then handed him one of them. A move that earned him a confused look.

"Japanese…."

"Yes."

"For me..."

"As it seems, dear," Daken nodded and handed him the bag with the books in it, since his arms and hands were still sensitive.

"Why?" Northstar asked, getting even more confused when the feral gave the sales woman an annoyed look and took the speedster's hand into his. "You are so weird today…," he noticed and, after receiving a glare from that woman that would have been capable of freezing hell, let himself be dragged back to Starbucks by Daken. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, why?" the feral asked and sat down next to MJ, his attention on the man next to him, who still gave him a confused and skeptical look. "What's the matter, dear?" he asked sweetly and took his hand into his once more.

That was the moment when something clicked and Northstar's frown turned into a knowing smile. "You want something!"

"Me? No," Daken replied innocently and drew circles on the man's hand. But he wasn't getting the reaction he desired. Maybe he had to try a different tactic, so he began to sulk. "You either complain about me not being nice and when I am, you don't like it either…"

"I just know you well enough by now to be able to tell that you want something, when you turn your charm on like this," his opposite said. "So what is it?"

"Sex of course, what else could a man want?" Tony shrugged and gave the women around him questioning looks. "What? Men are evil, men always want the one thing, we just like you to believe otherwise. Live with it!" He watched how Daken glared at him for a second before he pulled Jean-Paul close and discussed something with him in whispers that he couldn't understand. "I bet it's something dirty. And speaking of dirty, we really need to go back to Old Buckethead's Island! Cap probably already has fits."

"I agree. They probably get a team ready by now," Elektra nodded and tapped Northstar on the shoulder when she got up. While she was walking with Tony, Pepper and MJ at the front, the two men stayed behind them, still talking. Together, they headed out of the mall and towards a car that took them back to the hidden jet.

* * *

"So…'ow is dis supposed t'work out? We 'ave members but we need uniforms, no?" Remy asked. He lay on the bed, arms crossed behind his head and stared at the ceiling. He looked up when Scott came over and sat down next to him, showing him a paper. "Who made dis?" he asked and sat up, looking at the sketch.

"I asked Peter to make it," Scott told him. "We need uniforms anyway. One for X-Force and one for the normal team. Without, we are not protected against our enemies' devices…" He crossed his arms. "It's still not enough!"

"What is, mon ami?" Remy asked and put the paper on the bedside table.

"We have members but no intel. We don't know whether or not they have bases in other countries, we don't know anything about Apocalypse's connections or anything else that could help us…"

"Mais…_'e_ may know."

Scott looked aside to meet Remy's gaze. He knew exactly who he was talking about. "I know… I was thinking about asking him anyway. He's a great advantage…"

"You dink so?" Remy asked skeptically, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "We know not'ing about 'im. 'e did change so far…" He shrugged, thinking about it. "But I dink you're right. 'e might come into 'andy."

"He will… I watched him in the Dangeroom. It's amazing how fast he can calculate enemy moves ahead. His strategic thinking is far more advanced than Logan's or mines," Scott listed thoughtfully and gave the clock a thoughtful look. "I think I'll go and ask him now…," he said determined and left the room, went down the dark corridor and turned around a corner, before he came to a halt in front of a door. Checking if the coast was clear, he knocked carefully and waited. It didn't take long and the door was opened, dark eyes glaring at him, while hands kept a blanket, that was wrapped around the waist, in place.

"What?" Daken asked, voice hushed and looked behind him to make sure his son and the speedster were still sleeping.

"Would you come with me for a second? I need to talk to you," Scott whispered and received a smirk.

Daken leant against the doorframe and analyzed the man in front of him. "_You_ need to talk to me, huh?"

"I think I said so, yes," Scott replied, slightly annoyed. "It won't take long, so would you please…?"

Not saying anything, the feral opened the door a bit more and went inside to get his black sweatpants from the ground. Scott looked away when the man dropped the blanket carelessly to the ground, not caring that he was naked, and pulled the pants up instead, then turned his head as Northstar made a noise and watched how the speedster reached out to the empty space next to him, unconsciously frowning, then grabbing the pillow instead and cuddling up to it. It somehow gave him a pang and Scott began to wonder how often Remy or he were doing exactly that. Reaching out to nothing, since nothing was all they had left.

He heaved a deep breath as Daken gave him a questioning look, tried to regain his composure and beckoned him to follow him. He led the way back to the room he shared with Remy and heard how Daken closed the door behind them.

"Not interested," the feral instantly said and leant back against the door, arms crossed.

"You don't even know what I intend to ask!" Scott replied and sat down next to Remy.

"No, but I've got a brain," the feral replied and began to move around the room slowly, taking everything in. "Since I hardly doubt I'm here for a threesome, I'm sure you want me on your new team." He smirked when his senses picked up on the changes. Pulse beating quicker, breath caught for a very brief moment, something that only feral senses would have been able to pick up on. "See? I'm right," he said, smiling and stared at both of them hard. "You don't really believe I escaped one prison just to join the next, did you? It's already enough being stuck here on this goddamn island."

Remy exchanged a look with Scott and shrugged. "We could need someone with your expertise," the latter tried and the knowing smirk he received was answer enough. Thinking ahead…, he should have been warned.

"I'm not your pawn. I don't answer to anyone anymore!" Daken snarled and moved back over to the door.

"We don't want you as a pawn!" Remy tried it.

"No? As what then?" the feral challenged, already knowing the answer. "You want me because you lack intel. You want me because I can provide you with everything you need, because I can seduce anyone you need for your so called _mission_," he listed. "You don't want me on your team because you _like _ me or because you _accept_ me, you want me because you are desperate and have no clue where to start!" His eyes where dark and his muscles tensed. With a last glare, he opened the door but stopped when Scott stood up and spoke up.

"No, I want _you_ on the team because you are smart, because you can calculate ahead better than anything and everyone I've ever encountered! I want you on the team because you are a world class fighter, because you can easily blend in and you know what you are doing. I want you because you don't have moral scruples when it comes to doing what is necessary and we need people like you!" he replied, determined but also desperate and could tell that Daken was listening. "I know we had bad start. I know I was suspicious about you… I'm sorry. But if we don't stand together, we won't survive this. No one will! And you, like the two of us, know the best what it means when your family is torn apart and you are left alone in this world with no one on your side, with no one to help you…" He waited for a reaction but didn't receive one. The perfect poker face, inherited by Logan. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what you're thinking, you're not easy to read… But I know that your family means something to you, otherwise you wouldn't stick to them. If we don't fight for them, who will?" he asked and Daken gave him a suspicious and well guarded look. "I want you on the team because of your abilities, not because I want to use you or harm you."

Eyeing them still suspicious, Daken looked to and fro between them in silence for a long moment. He didn't know what to think about the offer. He knew he was pretty much unwelcome, that no one liked him, so he didn't bother to bond with anyone of them. So the fact that he was actually – and honestly, as far as his senses told him – begged to join… It made him suspicious, but he knew Scott was honest. "Who's going to lead?" he demanded to know and crossed his arms in front of his bare chest. "Because I won't follow someone like Rogers."

"Your father will lead the main team and take care of the offense. I'll take care of the intel and defense," Scott told him and held the stare he was given.

"If I figure out that this is just a ploy to get rid of me…," the feral warned.

"No, it's not," Remy assured him.

"I pretty much don't care what the Avengers or Fantastic Four think. It's my team and when you're on it, you're on it. They have no say in this," Scott added. "So will you join?"

Daken shrugged and began to stretch his arms. "Before you start crying me a river…," he simply said and left the room.

"Was dat a yes?" Remy asked confused and looked up at Scott, who could only shrug.

"I think so…" He kept on staring at the door for a while longer. "Well, let's go to bed. It's already late…," he suggested and went over to the second bed, opposite of Remy's.

* * *

When Daken reached his room again, he closed the door as silently as he could and dropped his pants on the way to the bed again. His mind was still occupied with the things Scott had said and he wondered why he actually cared. After he had lain back down and pulled the sheets up, his right hand hugged his pillow and he stared at the window in the dark. He began to wonder if Scott was right and he regarded anyone here as his family or friend. He liked to believe that he didn't care about anyone but himself. He's always lived that way, it was much easier than caring and in the end, he'd been raised believing and being taught that no one cared for him anyway, that he was nothing and not worth being cared for. He had no family, no friends…

When there was movement behind him and he was soon afterwards pulled into a warm hug, he got once more confused about how he felt, why he actually bothered to think about it and especially, why he always became confused around the speedster lately. He hated being confused… His headaches didn't help either…

"Can't sleep…," a whiny noise suddenly said next to his bed and made him sigh. Ignoring was fruitless, since Kazuki climbed on the bed and was now sitting next to him. "Can't sleep, daddy," he whined again.

"Nenaose!" Daken grunted and hoped the boy would do as he was told and go back to bed.

"Uun…," Kazuki sniffed and hugged his new teddy. "Can't sleep…"

"Again?" Jean-Paul sighed and turned around, being roughly awoken by them. "Third night in a row, Kazu…," he mumbled sleepily and pulled the boy over to his side, where he tucked him in and pulled him into a hug. "Go back to sleep, okay?"

"'kay…," the boy said and cuddled up to him, holding on to the man's shirt.

"He should sleep in his own bed," Daken grumbled behind him.

"I know. But I'd like to sleep and I'm not looking forward to being kept awake for the rest of the night again," the speedster replied in a hushed voice and tried to get comfortable again. "Besides…put on your pants when he's sleeping in bed with us, you perv," he added mumbling and received a growl but heard how the sheets were pulled aside and the shuffling of clothing. "Good boy."

"Zip it!" Daken snarled and, after thinking about it, cuddled back up to him.

* * *

"And what did you do in Canada, daddy?" Laura asked, holding her teddy bear close and looked at him with her big hazel eyes.

"Well, we tried t'find food 'n t'find a way out," he told her.

"Did you eat a squirrel?" Lily asked, eyes as big as the ones from her sister.

Logan chuckled. "No, darlin'. We didn't eat squirrels," he assured her and tucked her in.

"A bear?" she asked next.

"No, not a bear either."

"But?" Jack asked and his father shrugged.

"Fish 'n moose, when we were able t'find one that is," Logan replied and his kids stared at him speechlessly. "Ya would have eaten those, too, trust me!"

"You ate a moose?" Lily asked Rachel in shock and stared at her agape.

"They taste good actually," the redhead shrugged.

"Eew!" Laura and Lily made at the same time. "That's disgusting!"

"So, enough storytellin', time for bed!" their father said and got up. He gave each of his children a kiss and tucked them in, before he walked over to the door. "Night."

"Night, daddy!" they replied and he switched off the lights.

"I bet you scared the hell out of them by telling them you ate a moose," Jean smiled and finished folding the laundry, then placed everything into the dresser. "How about some whine?" she suggested and giggled when he pulled a disgusted face. "They have beer, too. Canadian even."

"Why didn't ya say so, darlin'?" he smirked and took her hand into his.

Together they left the room and aimed for the kitchen where Jean poured herself a glass of red whine and Logan took a can of beer out of the fridge. Then, he followed her to some kind of living room with an open fire place. "Mag loves showin' off, huh?" he grunted and sat down on the couch, holding out his arm for her to cuddle up to him.

"It's actually quiet nice here and we were lucky that he took us in," she told him and pulled her legs close, while she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me about it."

"Well, what do you want to hear?" Jean asked and covered the arm that he had draped around her waist with her hand.

"How did ya get out?" Logan asked and heard her sighing. "We only heard 'Ro's 'n Jubes' version so far."

Nodding, Jean pulled her legs closer and sent her empty wine glass over to the table via her teke. She then took one of Logan's hands into hers and stroked over it for a while. "My group was already underground in one of the escape tunnels," she began and her mind went back to share what she had seen with Logan. "I could feel the first attack, so I warned everyone to brace themselves…"

"_Brace yourselves!" Jean told everyone mentally and gave her group a sign to hurry up. With her mental powers she kept the children calm, still within she was restless. Whatever would happen next was big and would change everything. That much she knew. They were only few meters away from the exit as her inner alarm awoke. Her eyes glowed like fire as the earth began to shake due to the impact. The walls surrounding them shook heavily and she quickly spread her powers to protect them and save their exit as the upper floors and walls came down on them. "It's okay, just keep on running!" Jean shouted and watched how the mansion buried those behind them, those that were still in the elevators and scattered in the other exits underneath it. "My God…," she breathed and concentrated hard on their way out, tried to reach anyone of her friends that wasn't with them, but there was no reply._

"_Mommy?" Lily asked like in trance and believed her mother that everything was alright, that they would be fine. _

"_Keep on running!" she said once more, addressed at all of them and ignored her darker side that offered her more power. She was convinced she could make it, held the walls above them that lay still ahead steady and it felt like forever until they were out of the tunnel and somewhere in the open. _

_She didn't dare to look back, led the way up the hill and through the wood instead and didn't stop until the earth stopped shaking. It was then that she heard Moira crying out in horror and as she turned, Jean thought her heart would stop beating. The mansion was gone, in its place smoke, fire and a huge hole upon which the proud mansion, their home had been for years only moments ago. Next to her Callie began to whimper and she felt lost. Not being able to reach anyone, not knowing if there were still survivors next to them, not knowing where to go… There were too many questions in her head, too many things to be done… _

_Her eyes looked over the small group, at her children that held each others hands, at Moira, who held Nick close to her chest, at the few students that she had managed to save, at the few members of the junior team…, all of them staring at the burning mansion in shock. The cold of the outside was soon seeping through their thin clothes and she knew they had to move. It was only a matter of time before their enemies would come and check on the remains. But she had no idea where to go…_

"I figured that if they had already attacked us it was more than likely that they had attacked the Avengers' tower or Fantastic Four's HQ, too. So I had no idea where to go," Jean told Logan, eyes still on his hands. "I only knew that we had to get away from the mansion in case Sentinels or the MRD showed up… The whole time through I tried to reach you or the Professor, but there was no reply. We didn't know Apocalypse was already using some device to block any telepathic communication…"

Logan nodded in understanding. "I guess we missed each other only by seconds then…," he grunted and earned himself a surprised look. "We saw a beam or whatever it was in the sky, so Kurt teleported me 'n him back. We were the first t'reach the mansion. I guess ya were either still on yer way out or already up the hill…"

"Likely…," she nodded and sighed. "Well we can't change that now, can we?"

"Nope…"

"Anyway, we traveled through the woods for a good while and stayed at some remote cabin for a night," she went on. "The junior team and I made shifts in watching over the others. It was my turn when I suddenly heard a noise…"

"_What was that?" Moira asked in a hushed voice and sat up, realized that Jean, Siryn and Dazzler were already standing at the window and looking out. "MRD?"_

"_I don't know…," Jean replied, voice as low and tried to pick up on whoever or whatever was on the outside._

"_Maybe it's some animal?" Siryn asked._

"_I don't think so," Dazzler said with a shake of her head. _

_When Callie looked up and started growling first, then barking, Jean quickly used her powers to prevent the dog from waking the others. "Shh!" the redhead made but had to realize that whoever was on the outside had picked up on the dog and was now heading their direction. "Damn it…"_

"_What?" Moira asked, eyes wide._

"_They noticed," Dazzler cursed and nodded at Jean, who gave her a sign to get ready._

"_Stay here!" Jean told Moira and headed outside, eyes glowing like fire. Inside her head the Phoenix was seething with suppressed fury. So she tried to recall what Logan had taught them about encircling enemies without being seen. Crouched, she went through the darkness, eyes never leaving the two persons to her left. She heard her hushed voices, her mind planning to attack them as soon as she was in their back, knew the junior team would come out of hiding as soon as the two figures were down… Silently, Jean moved closer, heart thundering in her chest and hands shaking slightly due to the cold and rush of adrenaline in her veins. It only took mere seconds for her to concentrate and sent both shadows flying through the air. A hollow _thud_ announced them hitting the cabin._

"_Freeze!" Dazzler shouted through the dark and next to her Siryn stepped out of the cabin, too._

"_My dear…," a low voice said but the body didn't dare to move. "You got this all wrong…"_

"_Zip it!"_

_About to head towards the cabin, Jean felt the earth underneath her shaking al of a sudden. She had barely turned around as a huge shadow headed straight towards her and would have crashed into her, if she hadn't used her teke to stop it from moving. She had to shield her eyes as a huge fireball blinded her from the right and, angered, the huge firebird answered the attack by soaring into the sky and towards the attacker. "I would stop it, if I were you," Phoenix snarled and stepped slowly back towards her students, children and friends._

"_Bitch!" the huge shadow to her left that was still kept immobile by her snarled._

"_Jean?" Dazzler asked, unsure of what to do and was mesmerized by the fire-like eyes of the redhead. The blonde still kept her attention to the two persons to her feet, waited for another order._

"_My dear…," the same low voice said once more and confusion became evident on the redhead's face. "I would love to continue this game, but I'm afraid we are running out of time here."_

"_Magneto…?" Jean asked and illuminated the ground with a firebird on her palm._

"_Yes, dear," said man replied and gave her a slightly annoyed look. "We need to go!"_

"_How did you find us?" she demanded to know, raised him and Quicksilver from the ground with her powers, but kept both of them immobile still._

"_Charles sent us. He's waiting for you," Magneto answered honestly and looked to his right were Pyro and Juggernaut came slowly closer. "No attack!"_

"_She attacked us first!" Pyro seethed and glared at Jean, hands ready to cast another fireball._

"_I said no attack!" Magneto warned him and held the glare until the younger man lowered his hands. "Charles sent us to bring you into safety. We need to go, Jean!"_

"_All right…," the redhead nodded and told Moira to wake everyone up and get ready to leave._

"_How can you trust him?" Moira demanded to know, voice hushed and pulled her adoptive son closer to her chest._

"_Because we don't have anywhere else to go," Jean replied and woke her children gently. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him. He's not stupid enough to attack me."_

"_I hope you're right…," the dark haired woman said and gave the men on the outside an unsure look._

"_What…?" Jack growled still half asleep and rubbed his eyes tiredly._

"_We need to go, Jack. Get up!" Jean told him and pulled Rachel up, whereas her son sat slowly up, eyes spotting Magneto._

"_Daddy said to stay away from him, mommy!" he immediately said and made the older man chuckle._

"_Is that so?" Magneto smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I wonder why…"_

"_I know. Don't worry!" Jean tried to soothe him and ushered the group to the outside, where they were flanked by Juggernaut, Pyro and Quicksilver._

"_That's all of them?" the latter asked Magneto in a hushed voice and eyed the small group._

"_As it seems…," his father said darkly and led the way back to the jet, where Multiple Man was already waiting._

"_Damn, I thought I had to come looking for you," the man complained the moment the group entered the jet and closed the hatch as soon as everyone was inside. "Buckle in, ladies and gentlemen, we're about to take off!"_

"_Shut up!" Pyro grumbled and made no secret of disliking the group at all. "I don't get why we have to save their asses!"_

"_Drastic times call for drastic measures…," Magneto replied and looked out of the window to his right. "Fly straight back. We don't want to have anyone of them on our tail…"_

"He took us straight back to Genosha where we met Charles," Jean went on and shifted her position between Logan's legs. "He told us then that Apocalypse had taken over the States and his first attack was directed at us, then at Stark Tower, then at the HQ of the Fantastic Four… He also told me that they had somehow found a way to block telepathy national wide, so there was no way in contacting anyone of us…"

"So he sent Mags without knowin' if anyone of us was still alive…," Logan said and received a nod. "Tony'n his team came t'get us straight after the mission we went on. They had barely managed t'evacuate before their tower was blown t'pieces. We then went straight for Canada 'n stayed there until that fucker showed up…"

"Romulus?" Jean asked and he nodded. "How come he knew you were there?"

"No idea… He might have guessed it. He must have known I'd take the team outta the country 'n t'some remote place… A place big enough for all of us."

"Strange…," she muttered and thought about it. "He wouldn't have come personally, if he hadn't been sure you were actually there, Logan… He must have known…"

"But how?" he asked her back and they looked at each other. "Rogers would instantly say Akihiro sold us t' the enemy…," he added in a growl.

"No, I don't think so…" She shook her head. "After what I've seen in your son's mind, Logan, he would have to be a complete psycho to still be loyal to Romulus…"

"So you've seen what he's done t'him?"

"More than that…," she told him barely audible and playing with the fabric of his shirt. "It was disgusting and horrible enough to give me nightmares…" She remained silent for a moment. "Anyway, we were sitting together as Charles suddenly picked up on your son's mental state. So he sent Rodey to support you and Magneto and I pulled your jet down."

"'n ya kept the kids calm, right?" Logan asked and she nodded. "I see…" He looked at her from aside and reached out to stroke up her neck and through her hair. "Yer father….," he began but didn't dare to finish the sentence.

"Was in one of the elevators when the mansion came down on us…," she finished and gave him a sad smile.

"I'm sorry…," he said and pulled her close, held her tight to his chest and both of them remained silent for a while.

"Can't be changed…," Jean smiled and cuddled up to him while her eyes were fixed on the fire in fire place. "We still have us and our children…unlike Scott and Remy…"

"True…," he nodded and went on stroking through her hair and up and down her back.

"I can't even imagine what that must feel like… Losing everything…"

"Horrible… As if yer stuck in yer personal hell 'n can't get out anymore," he grunted and was also looking into the fire. "Everything's meaningless 'n even if yer friends are there ya feel damn lonely…" He gave her a surprised look when she straddled him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

"No more dark thoughts. It's making me feel depressed," Jean mumbled against his lips and leant their foreheads against each other, enjoying the closeness.

"Hm…," she heard him making and smiled when his hands grabbed her hips gently. "I could think of somethin' else… Problem is the kids are sleepin' in the next room…," he said suggestively and smirked at her when she took his hand while getting up, held it still when she led the way down a corridor he didn't know, yet, and came to a halt in front of a door. Inside, he took a look around, figured that it was another guest room since he couldn't pick up on any scent that would have given away an owner. He still smirked when he heard the door being locked and turned around just to be met by her soft lips, a kiss so deep and longing that it was taking his breath away.

Before he could even realize it their clothes lay forgotten on the ground and they were kissing, sucking on and stroking over every part of the partner's skin. He let himself fall back into the sheets with her on top, arms wrapped around her slim form, her legs next to his and kissed her back with everything he got. To him it felt like an eternity since the last time, so his heart skipped a beat as he took her whole beauty in. He returned the smile he was given and sat up, her body against his to pull her into another kiss, before he kissed down her cheek and went on nibbling in her throat and neck. Carefully, he rolled them around and devoured her with everything he could offer; kissed her, teased her, loved her, gave her the chance to do the same to him, until both exploded once more and could only hold each other, completely exhausted.

"That…was long overdue, mister," Jean teased him and raised her head from his chest, earning a chuckle from him.

"Well, I know now where this secret room is, don't I?" he teased her back and returned the kiss he was given. He breathed in her scent and nuzzled her neck for a while, growled into it until she giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"That tickles!"

"I know. It's supposed t'," he growled and bit gently into it, then kissed it again.

Jean sighed and stroked through his tousled hair. "I guess we should go back…"

"I guess yer right…," he nodded and sat slowly up to run a hand over his face and through his hair. He got up to get their clothes from the ground, smirked when Jean quickly changed the sheets and handed her the pants and shirt she had worn before. After they had gotten dressed again, they left the room, both an arm wrapped around the other and headed back to their room. "I need a shower…"

"How come?" Jean teased him smiling and earned a smile in return.

"Dunno… Might have somethin' t'do with a hot redhead bein' all over me," he shrugged and chuckled when she elbowed him.

"As if it was her fault only," she returned the favor and cuddled into his side again, looking up when she noticed someone approaching them. "Hi."

"Hey," Johnny Storm and his sister greeted both of them before they headed further down the corridor; the man constantly looking behind him and shaking his head.

"What?" the blonde asked in confusion and he pointed behind him.

"He really has become mushy, hasn't he?" Johnny asked and made her smile.

* * *

"This is so cool," Jean-Paul said excitedly and looked out of the window and at the sky.

"What is?" John asked but the man was already out of the room and gone. "What is?" he asked once more and gave the blonde next to him a confused look.

"No idea, honey," Narya shrugged and looked up when the speedster returned and dragged Daken with him to the outside. "Something on the outside obviously…" She waited a moment before her curiosity got the better of her and stood up.

"And what is it?" John asked.

"Awesome!" was all she said and he rolled his eyes, finally getting up to take a look himself.

In their room Jean gave the window a confused look and wondered why the light on the outside seemed to change constantly. She was about to get up when Logan came out of the bathroom, hair still damp and headed for the window. He pulled the curtains aside and took a look, a surprised expression becoming visible on his face. "What is it?" the redhead asked, voice hushed since the children were already sleeping.

"Haven't seen those in ages…," she heard him mumbling and got up to join his side.

"Beautiful," was all Jean could say and leant into him. She hadn't seen northern lights at all in her life before and was mesmerized with the changing lights in the sky.

"Not as beautiful as ya…," Logan whispered huskily into her ear and nibbled on it.

"Nutter!" she smiled and elbowed him playfully. Her eyes fell on the two men that were standing at the beach and staring at the sky. "Is that your son?"

"Mhm…," Logan made and was watching them for a moment.

"I talked to him earlier," Jean told him and turned in his embraced to hug him back. "He still feels unaccepted… He especially thinks that I don't accept him."

"That's bullshit," he sighed and received a nod.

"That's what I told him. It's his foster mother's fault that he thinks that way, I think," she said and watched the two men on the outside. "She must have really disliked him…"

"Sounds familiar t'me…," Logan growled and narrowed his eyes a bit. Still a thought crossed his mind, something he had wanted to ask Jean but hadn't done so far. "Ya…do accept him, don't ya?" he asked and earned a surprised look from her. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw how Daken had turned his head a bit into their direction and he knew his son was listening in.

"Logan, he's your son!" the redhead replied. "I married you, so your son is part of our family. Of course I do accept him. I just wish… I just wish he would open up more and that the others would accept him, too." She smiled when Jean-Paul went over to Daken, who was standing closer to the water and still staring at the sky, then, after a brief moment, embraced him from behind. She gave Logan a brief look and could tell that he was listening in to whatever the two men were talking about, so she gave him a gentle slap on the arm.

"What? It's important!" he told her mentally and received a questioning look. "It is!" he insisted.

"Give them some privacy!" she replied through their mental link but received a shake of his head. "Logan!"

"This is important, darlin'!" he still insisted and turned his head back into his son's direction. "Need t'know if I'm gainin' a son-in-law, or not."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked, completely confused and tried to figure out what was going on on the outside. Jean-Paul had his arms still wrapped around the feral and was leaning into him. Nothing unusual, as she figured out. In the end, they did it quiet often, at least when they thought that no one was looking.

"So what do you think?" Northstar asked, voice hushed and gentle. His heart was beating fast as he waited for the answer.

"I…don't know how this kind of thing works…," Daken mumbled and looked down, confused about what he was actually saying and feeling. His headaches seemed to get worse once more and he had to close his eyes for a brief moment as he began to feel dizzy.

"I know…," the man behind him replied. "It's just… I'd really like to be with you for real… To tell others that you're my boyfriend and not the usual _it's complicated_… But I do understand, of course, that you need more time…" His eyes darted once more to the sky and he smiled. "Last time I've seen them was back then in 2009 when I was training for the Olympics…"

"I've never seen them before…," Daken mumbled, looked up into the sky and leant unconsciously back against the speedster. Too many questions were running around in his head. Why was his heart beating so fast and his chest felt so warm? What was this funny feeling inside of his stomach? His eyes darted aside and risked a look at the man behind him, who was still smiling at the sky and before the feral had realized it, he had pulled the speedster into a kiss.

When Jean saw Logan smiling, she gave him once more a confused look. He chuckled when he noticed it and pulled the curtains close again, then her over to the bed.

"What is so funny?" she demanded to know but he waved off and went under the sheets. "Logan!"

"Curious, darlin'?" he asked playfully and wobbled his eyebrows. "I might tell ya…"

"But?" she asked and went under the sheets next.

"Hm…. I want a kiss first," he suggested and she gave him a look but did so anyway. "Thanks," he said and switched off the light on his side, then closed his eyes.

"Hey!"

"Hm?"

"You wanted to tell me what all of this was about!" Jean complained and he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"We're not a tiny bit too curious, aren't we Ms. Grey?" he said dryly.

"Grey-Howlett! And it wasn't me who was listening in to a private conversation, mister!" she replied and narrowed her eyes playfully whereas he was still looking at her with a complete straight face.

"Yer cute," Logan suddenly chuckled and she slapped his arm playfully. "I've no idea, darlin'. They might be a couple now or not…"

Nodding, she switched off the light on her bedside table with her mind and cuddled up to him after a good-night kiss. "Well, it wouldn't be too bad, if they were…"

"Nope," he agreed. "MJ told me he actually talked with them durin' the shoppin' tour… Just think about what he was like when he first came t'us."

"Mhm…," she nodded against his shoulder. "Still he has serious issues, Logan…"

He sighed. "I know…"

* * *

Looking at the still visible scars on both forearms, Daken snorted derisively and raised both arms a bit. "Sashidashita ude ni nokoru kako no kizuato wa, yurusareta kimi ga seotta tsumi no akashi," he mumbled hoarsely.

"What does that mean?" Jean-Paul asked and put everything he needed for changing the bandages on the table to Daken's left. "It was Japanese, right?"

The feral nodded faintly. "The scars of the past that remain on your open arms, are the proof of the crimes you innocently bear…," he translated and received a frown. "It's from a song…"

"Hm…," the speedster only made and carefully began to clean and bandage the wounds again. "Don't always say such depressing things… They are creepy," he complained and received a smirk.

The feral watched in silence how his arms were bandaged again and got confused when his heart skipped a beat as he met Northstar's eyes for a brief moment. He didn't know what to make out of this reaction or the funny feeling in his stomach.

"Something wrong?" Jean-Paul immediately asked concerned and looked at the now bandaged arms. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No…," Daken quickly said and withdrew his arms nearly as quickly, a move that earned him another frown from his opposite. Feeling unwell in that situation, he got quickly up and headed for the door. A headache kicking in that blinded him.

"You're weird lately…," Jean-Paul mumbled and looked up just in time to see how the feral's knees buckled and him falling. Within less than a blink of an eye he stormed over and caught him, noticed the far away look the man had in his eyes for a moment. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm fine…," Daken grumbled and got up, slowly this time.

"No, you're not!" the speedster disagreed and kept a hand on the man's arm to steady him.

"I just got up too fast," the feral grunted and slapped the man's hand away. "It's nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing but fine," Jean-Paul said and cleaned up. When he switched off the lights and entered the bedroom, he gave the sleeping Kazuki a brief look before he went over to the other bed. "Seriously, I'm worried about you, Hiro," he began carefully while pulling the sheets up. "You shouldn't have headaches. Especially not such strong ones. Why don't you tell Jean about them?"

"Because it's none of her business…," the feral mumbled into the pillow into which his face was buried.

"Fine, whatever…," the man to his right sighed and switched off the light on the bedside table. "Good night…"

* * *

Scott and Logan looked at the screen at which Tony was pointing and listened to his explanations about the new suits. They only understood half of what the man was telling them, tried to ignored the scientific stuff as good as they could and exchanged looks with each other every time Tony delved further into science stuff.

"So, if I got that right…," Scott began after the man was done and crossed his arms. "It's not a problem for you to produce the suits?"

Chuckling, Tony gave him a look that spoke volumes. "That word doesn't exist in my vocabulary!" he answered self-assured and pointed at the screen again. "You give me the material, I produce the suits. I'm even generous enough to let you decide the color, isn't that great?"

"Absolutely…," Scott nodded and gave Logan another look, who could only cock an eyebrow at him. "I was thinking black for the main team, dark-grey and black for X-Force…"

"Really?" Tony asked surprised. "I was thinking you might like _blood_ red for your killer team. You know…because of cleaning and stuff…" When he noticed the looks he was given, he shrugged. "It was just an idea…"

"How long will it take ya t'do this?" Logan demanded to know.

"Hm… I need to measure every team member, then to get fabric from somewhere, then to…," Tony began to list and the feral rolled his eyes.

"_How_ long?" Logan asked once more.

"If Reed manages to rebuild Forge's machine…" Tony shrugged and typed in some commands into his computer.

"Approximately 10 days, sir," Jarvis told them.

"There you go," Tony said.

"We still got our spare suits in our jet…," Scott considered and Logan nodded. "Daken hates suits, so he probably won't mind not having one, yet. James and Jean-Paul got theirs in our jet plus the ones Forge made," he went on with his mental list. "I think that will do until we get the new ones, what do you think?"

Logan nodded. "Should work…"

"Thanks, Tony," Scott said and gave him a pad on the shoulder before he left the room together with Logan. "Did you talk to your son about what he may know?" he asked while they were walking down the corridor.

"Not, yet. His voice just became better recently 'n Jean said he shouldn't use it too much, yet," Logan replied and received a nod. "I'll do that later. Cap'n his team managed t'get their hands on some photos. Maybe Akihiro knows the locations."

"Good. Your son is an amazing strategist."

Logan smirked. "Well, he's my kid…"

Scott playfully rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "He's way better than you and I combined, Logan. Sorry to disappoint you!" he said. "Did you ever watch him in the Dangerroom? He thinks so far ahead of his enemies…"

"Yeah, he's good as long as he can control this hot head of his," Logan agreed and they came to a halt at the kitchen.

"Well, that was your fault, wasn't it?" his opposite asked. "Besides…he's much calmer now and in much better control of his feral side than you and Creed! He's better than you."

Logan shrugged. "But I'm pretty much indestructible. His bones can break, so he has t'be more careful than I do," he disagreed. "I know that he's faster 'n smarter. His pheromone control ability gives him a great advantage, even though it doesn't work on other ferals that well. The problem with him is his pride'n arrogance…"

"Wonder where he got that from, too…," Scott mumbled and cleared his throat when Logan glared at him. "Anyway, ask him and let me know. The sooner we can act, the better and Cap becomes impatient rather quickly."

"No, really?" Logan mocked and followed him into the room where the others were already gathered for breakfast. He gave his wife and children a kiss and sat down on his stool. "Were they already here?" he asked Jean in a hushed voice but she shook her head.

"So I'm too curious and daddy-in-not-law is too impatient, hm?" she teased him while stirring her coffee.

"Nah…," he disagreed and shook his head.

"You so are!"

"He's what?" Ororo asked since she had noticed the playful banter.

"Impatient," Jean told her and Scott snorted.

"No news…"

"Not really," Hawkeye agreed and also Cap and Bucky nodded in agreement.

"Well…. It's important, ain't it?" Logan asked the redhead to his left when his attention was brought upon a different matter. "He's eating with a spoon?" he said with a look at his youngest.

"So it seems, honey," Jean nodded and smiled at Jamie, who was occupied with his food.

"How did ya manage t'do that?" Logan demanded to know.

"What's so special about him eating with a spoon?" Parker asked in confusion and looked to and fro between them.

"Coz this ain't normal!" the feral told him and pointed at Jamie.

"Say thank you to your grandchild because Jamie copies him lately," Jean smiled sweetly and ruffled her son's hair affectionately. "Isn't that right, baby?"

"No!" Jamie replied and took a huge gulp out of the sippy cup in front of him. "More juice!" he demanded and held the cup into the direction of his father.

"I don't take orders!" Logan grunted. "What do ya say when ya would like t'have somethin'?"

"Peaaaaaase?" Jamie asked and waited.

"That's better," his father nodded and took the cup to refill it at the fridge.

"You know… If someone had told me, that I'd ever see you filling a sippy cup or playing horse or doing anything of the stuff I saw you doing in the past days…," Johnny Storm began, "I'd have laughed!" He met Logan's eyes and shook his head. "Daddy Wolverine, who would have thought…" He raised his cup a bit, intended to take a sip when he noticed something else. "Hold on…," he began and pointed at Jean, "did she say _grand_child?"

Jean nodded while taking a sip of her coffee. "Yes, I did say so indeed." She smiled at how the man's eyes grew huge.

"Seriously?" Johnny asked and noticed the straight face the couple gave him. "This little Asian boy?" he said and received nods. "I thought that speedster was his father?"

"Foster father," Logan corrected him. "Or better said…adoptive father."

Johnny exchanged a look with his sister and her husband, the wheels in his head turning. "I thought it's not allowed?"

"What's not allowed?" Hank asked and his opposite shrugged.

"Well…two guys and…," Johnny said and gesticulated wildly. "I mean adopting…"

Jean smiled. "Jean-Paul adopted Kazuki before anyone knew that he was actually Akihiro's biological son. The boy lost his mother during a fire and was the only survivor when we found him, so since the MRD was already hunting down mutant children, Paul decided to keep him."

Johnny nodded. "So…grandchild, huh?" he asked Logan, who nodded. "Man…you're OLD!"

"Yeah, 'n guess what?" Logan asked before he handed Jamie his sippy cup back. "I'm still better lookin' than ya!"

"Guys!" Susan cut them both off. "Please, no testosterone fights so early in the morning. Thank you!"

"Well, he IS better looking…," the Thing muttered and returned the glare Johnny gave him.

"Than you, yeah. That's true!" the man returned the favor he was given. "Everything's better looking than a walking rock."

Watching them bickering, Logan shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Some things never change…," he sighed and looked aside when he heard someone coming closer. "Mornin'…," he greeted and received a nod only, which made him frown. He watched how his son placed Kazuki on a free stool and filled a cup for the boy, before he cut some pancakes and handed them to him next. "Yer all right?" Logan asked concerned and received a silent nod once more before his son sat down on another stool and rested his head in one hand, watching his son eating warily.

"Morning," Jean-Paul greeted them, prepared his breakfast and sat down next to the feral, eyeing him from aside. "No food?" he asked and received a shake of Daken's head only.

"Did ya have a fight?" Logan asked after noticing the worried looks Jean was giving his son and it was no secret to him either that the Professor was keeping his eyes on the man, too.

"No," the speedster told him with half a smile, an expression that earned him a skeptical look from Logan. "He just has a bad day…"

Logan nodded and closed in on Jean-Paul, his chest touching the man's back when he leant in. "Ya should know better than lyin' t'me, Paul…," he whispered and was convinced he had seen something in the man's eyes he didn't like for a brief moment.

"He's not feeling well, that's all, Logan," the speedster tried once more and his eyes were instantly back on Daken, when he heard him heaving a deep breath. He knew Logan should know, that it was wrong to lie but he was stuck between the chairs. "He has his good days, he has his bad days and today is a bad day."

"Then go 'n lie down," Logan suggested and put a hand to his son's shoulder. He frowned when Daken turned his head and gave him a faraway look through dazed eyes. "Kid, what's wrong with ya?"

"Hiro, go and lie back down," Jean-Paul said before the older feral could say something else and was glad that he received a nod. He watched how Daken got slowly off his chair and held on to the speedster's shoulder for a moment before he headed to the door, closely watched by him and Logan.

"_He's got headaches, am I right?"_

Northstar startled when the voice of the Professor suddenly echoed in his mind. He looked into his direction and gave a brief nod. It wasn't before he turned his head back towards the door and the corridor behind it that he had to jump quickly from his stool, nearly bumping into Logan while doing so, and sped down the corridor to catch Daken before he would have hit the floor. "Damn you," he cursed and touched the man's pale and cold cheek before he noticed that the Professor, Jean and Logan were coming closer. "Hiro?"

"I'm fine…," the man in his arms mumbled and tried to get up again but his view blackened once more.

"Lie him down," Jean told the speedster and checked on Daken's pulse and temperature.

"I'm afraid this can't wait, Jean…," Charles said after taking a look at the dazed man on the ground. "His mind is fighting back…"

"What are ya talkin' about?" Logan growled, kneeling on the ground next to Jean and looked up.

"It's about what I wanted to talk to you, Logan," the Professor sighed, face completely serious and concerned. "It's about something Romulus has done to him right after he was born…"

**As promised, I wrote the last bits of this chapter during my holidays. I'm sorry for the long wait but I was quiet busy with college and had a major writer's block. I hope you liked it anyway. Please, let me know and leave a review. ; ) See ya!**


	6. Survey Time!

HI,

I'm currently working on my final college paper and created a survey.  
The topic is "The portrayal of minorities in comic books from the 60's to now" and I wantd to include a survey on readers' opinion.

It would be great, if you took your time and answered the questions!

http : / / FreeOnlineSurveys . com / rendersurvey . asp?sid=x03npsk29w1eb06805217

The help is greatly appreciated!

The focus is on The X-Men and the topics Gender, Sexuality, Ethnicity!

Thanks!

The new chapter will be up in about a week!


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**Don't forget, please, that it's a helluva lot of work to type those chapters and that I take my time writing them, so please be fair and leave a review, even if it's a short one!**

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**Chapter is definitely rated M! **for violent and disturbing flashbacks!

Reference to Wolverine Origins: Original Sin!

Reference to the Logan/Daken scene at the end of chapter 57 (Sequel 2)!

Reference to Dark Wolverine/Wolverine Origins and the hints towards how Romulus raised Daken and what he did to him!

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**Thanks to those that took part in the survey! : )**

** FF(dot)net was sending out errors lately. Sorry for that! I hope the story is coming out this time...**

**OCT 5: I've been told two days ago that my final oral exam is already on Oct 26 and I have to study a lot until that day. So I won't post a new chapter until maybe the beginning of November. The new chapter already has 25 pages. Sorry for that!  
**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 6**

"What do ya mean with…somethin' Romulus did t'him right after he was born?" Logan growled and his eyes narrowed to slits. He hated it if things were being kept from him, especially when it concerned his family. Usually, he wouldn't care but in situations like this he did even the more. "Why didn't ya tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you about this, Logan, but then Erik called and I had to meet with him. I wanted to tell you right after my return but things turned out differently," Charles assured him and held his gaze. "Or better said Jean-Paul and you because it concerns both of you equally I'm afraid…"

Logan and the speedster exchanged a look, equally concerned and worried. "So it's serious?" Jean-Paul asked and received a nod.

"I'm afraid so." The Professor nodded. "Jean?"

The redhead looked up after monitoring her patient's heartbeat for a while. "We should act now," she told them and received a nod.

"Be right back," Northstar said and gave her a sign to wait. Within less than a second he was back in the kitchen, his eyes searching for Narya. "Hey, can you take Kazu for a while?"

"Sure," she nodded and noticed the look in his eyes. "Is it something serious with him?"

"You can say that…," he replied and was about to turn around as he suddenly bumped into Logan, who gave him a rather grim look. Carefully, the speedster made a step back.

"Ya knew before in what kinda shape he was in, didn't ya?" Logan growled and his eyes were narrowed to slits.

"Logan…," Jean-Paul sighed but was cut off.

"_Didn't_ ya?" his opposite demanded to know and approached him slowly.

"Logan…," Narya tried to intervene but was silenced with a single look by him.

"I told ya ya should know better than lyin' t'me, Paul!" he warned the speedster, who began to feel angry himself.

"I didn't know what was wrong with him, okay?" he defended himself.

"Sure, that's why I smelled a lie on ya earlier, huh?" Logan snapped back. "I warn ya, kid, if I find out that ya knew more about his condition than ya told us…"

His opposite groaned and shook his head. "Logan, I didn't know okay? I knew he wasn't feeling well, yes, I knew he felt dizzy yesterday, yes…"

"'n already then ya should have told us!" Logan cut him off and returned the glare he was given.

"He told me he was fine and he said he doesn't want anyone else to know!" Jean-Paul snapped back and received an angry growl. "Damn it, Logan, did the thought that I sit between the chairs ever occur your mind?" he asked and didn't step back when the feral stopped right in front of me.

"Don't ya dare bein' cocky towards me, Paul, I warn ya!"

"I'm not being cocky, I'm speaking my mind!" he replied and tried to figure out a way to argue with the man without risking that he would snap. "You're my friend, Logan, so I'm loyal to you, you know that. But he's my boyfriend and I have to respect his wishes, too, and when he tells me to stay out of it what am I supposed to do?"

"I'm yer boyfriend's father, think about it!" Logan grunted and earned an annoyed sigh from his opposite.

"He didn't tell me he had headaches, end of discussion," Jean-Paul said and aimed towards the door. "This fight is stupid, Logan! Seriously!" Leaving the room, he heard how Logan followed him but both men ignored each other on their way back to where Jean and the Professor were.

"Wow… Does this count as the first fight between daddy and son-in-law?" Jubilee asked into the round, still surprised about the sudden outburst. "Hold on… Did Paul finally say _boyfriend_?"

James chuckled. "Trust me… You've never seen Paul being really angry! This was nothing! And yes, he did."

"I must say he has guts facing Logan like this…," Hawkeye said and made Tony chuckle.

"He puts up with Prince Charming for 24/7!" he commented. "_That_ requires guts!"

"How many nicknames do you already have for Akihiro?" Kitty asked him and was smirked at.

"Many, darling, many!" Tony assured her and got up. "Come on, Reed, back to work. Stop slowing me down!"

Giving him a look that spoke volumes, Reed Richards got of his stool. "As far as I remember I'm already waiting for you for about half an hour, Tony!" he returned the favor and made the man turn around, finger pointing at himself. "Yes, you!"

"You must confuse me with someone else!" the Avenger replied. "I'm always on time, isn't that so, Pepper?" he asked and made her nearly spill her coffee. Coughing heavily, she waved off. "See? She agrees! And now come on, we've got some suits to build!" he clapped his hands and left the room, followed by Reed, who could only shake his head.

* * *

While he leant against the nearest wall, arms crossed and was watching what the Professor and Jean were doing, Logan became impatient the more time went by. On the sofa to his right his son sat, hands buried in his hair, face lowered and allowed the speedster to comfort him. Something that indicated to him that his son was definitely not well. He sighed and looked once more back at Jean and the Professor. He was convinced that both of them had a mental discussion and he didn't liked being left out of it. In the end it concerned his eldest and he was already worried like hell. When he heard his son heaving a deep breath and watched how the speedster knelt down in front of him to embrace him and let him rest his head on the man's shoulder, the feral had simply enough. _"Jean, what the hell is goin' on?"_ he demanded to know through their shared link and made her look up.

"_In a minute, Logan!"_ was everything she replied and he growled in stress and impatience. _"We don't know how to do this. Give us a bit longer!"_ she tried to soothe him and watched how he walked over to the couch to help comforting his son instead.

Sitting down, he reached out to put a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder, exchanging a look with Jean-Paul for a moment, who still held his son close and stroked through his hair. To both of them it appeared to be an eternity until Jean and the Professor finally turned around and faced them, obviously ready to get started.

"I think I should start at the beginning…," Charles began and folded his hands in front of his mouth, deeply in thoughts. "The first time I read Akihiro's mind, I stumbled upon something I wasn't sure was even possible and takes a very skilled telepath to do…," he said and noticed the frown on Logan's face. "It's called a psychic bomb. It's created to lock something away and keep other telepaths from probing into it. If a telepath tries too hard and goes too deep into his mind, the bomb will go off and freeze the telepath's mind. I am not sure what will happen to the mind of the owner of the psychic bomb, but my guess is that it will either kill him, freeze his mind, too, erase his memory or put him into a coma…" He paused to let the said sink in and noticed the look Jean-Paul and Logan gave each other.

"To what purpose would Romulus put this bomb into Hiro's mind?" the speedster asked and turned his head a bit to look at the Professor.

"I wasn't so sure about it. The only thing I knew was that it wasn't to lock any specific memories away. Akihiro's mind practically soaks up everything it encounters. It doesn't only memorize everything that happened to him or everything he sees. It memorizes everything, scents, people, words, feelings, noises, colors…as exactly as if it was happening right now or as if it was a movie. I have never seen such a vivid mind like his before. He can read a text once and is able to cite the whole thing word by word, he memorizes the tiniest detail exactly… Even if it concerns others."

"'n that's what causes him pain?" Logan asked, confused but Charles shook his head.

"It's more complicated than that, Logan. The question is what did Romulus intend to lock away so much that he wanted to keep telepaths away?"

"Good question…," Jean-Paul mumbled and gave Daken a worried look when this one began to cling to him. "Professor, could we hurry this up, please?" he asked concerned and watched how Jean came closer to touch the younger feral's head.

"Of course…," Charles replied. "I was wondering about that question for a good while, believed that Romulus might have locked real memories away that had been replaced by fake ones. The same that has been done to Logan. In the end Akihiro's mind has been altered so many times… But then I came upon something really astounding and I think by now I have figured it out."

Logan sighed. "Could ya just say it, Chuck?"

"It's actually very easy, Logan. Romulus wanted Akihiro to be cold towards others, to develop negative feelings only, to lack empathy," the Professor explained. "I'm convinced that he let a telepath mess with Akihiro's mind right after he was born and locked the ability to develop positive feelings like affection or love away. Or at least to prevent him from developing them." He paused a moment. "When he came to us he was still acting upon what he has learned, was cold towards everyone…" His eyes darted towards the speedster. "Except to you."

"So this is my fault?" Jean-Paul asked shocked.

"No, not at all," Charles smiled. "At least not completely. Still the two of you got quiet close, didn't you? He listens to you more than anyone else, he trusts you. It's not your fault, but he is developing feelings towards you, which causes his mind to fight back against the altering."

"What he means is that the changes in his mind and the psychic bomb cause the pain," Jean tried to explain. "His mind is trying to free itself from it but it's not possible by its own. Still, defusing that bomb is quiet risky by itself and we don't know if there might be something else lurking behind that bomb. Some kind of insurance, something that makes sure Akihiro won't turn against Romulus."

"So…," Logan began and was still frowning. "Yer sayin' that in case ya manage t'defuse it that it might either cause him t'go havoc on us or erase his memory or will do somethin' worse?" he asked and his eyes switched to and fro between Jean and the Professor. "Ya can't be serious!"

"I'm afraid so, Logan," the Professor sighed. "If we don't do something now, his mind will not be able to withstand this pressure for too long. He already is in too much pain and this will get worse!"

"I won't…let you erase…my memory," Daken breathed heavily into Jean-Paul's shoulder.

"We won't erase it, Akihiro," Jean assured him. "Charles will work on that bomb and I will protect his, mine and your mind from it. We will neither alter your memory nor do anything else against your will."

"No!"

"Hiro, you're already blacking out constantly. They only want to help you!" Jean-Paul tried and cupped the man's sweaty face. "Please, let them help you!" he begged but the feral shook his head. Sighing, Jean-Paul let his arms fall and just looked at Daken for a while. "Would you leave us alone for a moment?" he asked the group and waited for them to leave the room.

On the outside, Logan ran both hands through his hair and shook his head, his nostrils flaring in anger. "I'll so kill him…," he growled and glared at the wall first, then punched it.

"Hey!" Jean quickly intervened and put a hand to his arm. "You going into a rage won't solve anything right now."

"With what right did this fucker do this t'him?" he roared and breathed hard. "What else did he do t'him that we don't know about?"

"He did it to use your son against you, Logan," Charles said as calm as possible. "As sad as it is but he made him suffer only to use him against you… And your son doesn't trust us enough to help him, which makes the situation quiet difficult…" He gave the door to his right a long look. "I just hope Jean-Paul can convince him… This can't wait much longer…"

Logan crossed his arms and leant back against the wall, eyes seizing the ground up for a coffin. "'n ya can't tell if somethin' else is locked away behind that wall?" he asked and received a shake of the man's head. "What if it's somethin' dangerous? I won't put my son down fer good, Chuck. Ya can forget about it!"

Before the Professor was able to reply, the door opened and Northstar came out. "And?" the bald man asked hopefully.

"He agreed," Jean-Paul told him and received a sigh in relief. "But he wants me and Logan to stay close and he explicitly said that you are not to alter or erase anything, no matter how horrible! He wants to remember why he wants Romulus dead."

"Of course," Charles nodded and followed him back inside, where Daken already lay sprawled on the couch, an arm draped over his eyes. He moved behind him and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll try not to cause you any more pain than necessary but it might feel a bit uncomfortable," he warned and heard Daken snorting.

"More uncomfortable than now?" he whispered. "I doubt it…" He lowered his arm and gave the man a mistrustful look.

"Jean?"

"I'm ready," the redhead said and began to concentrate on their minds, setting strong enough shields up. At least she hoped so. In the end, she had no experience with psychic bombs and how much damage they could cause. "Akihiro, you need to open your mind a bit further for me," she said after a moment and waited. "Thank you."

"I know it's hard but try to relax," Charles asked of the feral and closed his eyes. Immediately, he was drawn into the feral's mind. He had to concentrate hard to find the right path, fought hard against the flood of memories that rushed over him and made him sick to his stomach due to their explicitness. He saw everything the man had been through. How he had been treated as an outsider and teased by his fellow villagers because he was mixed raced, how he had been beaten up by the other children because of his heritage, how he had felt that his foster mother didn't love him and couldn't accept him, how he had accidentally killed his foster mother, how his foster father killed himself in front of his eyes, how Romulus had been there, in the shadows, all the time and whispered to the boy. Then how he had approached him, convinced him to follow him into the shadows where he had been kept from then on, isolated from anyone else, without anyone to relate to. Saw what kind of methods Romulus has used to bind the boy to him, how he had trained him, taught him, punished him for the tiniest mistakes to force him to achieve perfection in everything he did. Charles thought he could feel the cold and snow, felt his limbs shaking due to the memory that felt so real and thought it was him sitting naked in waist high snow, freezing and alone, waiting for his punishment to be over, afraid.

He then saw himself being in a dark room, hanging from the ceiling by his stretched arms, a rope cutting into his skin, the stench of blood unbearable, felt his muscles contracting and the pain going through every tiniest part of his body as he was beaten and something tore his skin off with every hit he took. Still, not a single noise left his lips.

Watching them working in silence, Logan and Jean-Paul exchanged looks from time to time, wondering what Charles and Jean could see that they wore such expressions on their faces. It didn't take long and the Professor suddenly began to frown.

"A penny for yer thoughts…," Logan sighed and crossed his arms.

In the meantime, Charles found himself standing on the outside next to a rice field. He was staring at an old fashioned Japanese house in some kind of village, the house itself standing separately from the others. A huge hand with sharp nails was suddenly cupping his shoulder almost painfully and he began to feel itchy, an inner voice telling him to run. It didn't take long and a low voice began to whisper into his ear.

"Ya will go inside 'n kill that old woman," Romulus said and tightened his grip on the boy's shoulder. "Make it fast!"

Charles stood next to them and watched how Daken gave the house a rather uncomfortable look. If he had to guess, he'd say the boy was maybe 9 or 10 years old.

"Why?" the boy asked and hissed when nails breached his skin.

"Ya don't ask why! Ya will do as yer told, understood? Killin' doesn't need a reason," Romulus growled and released his shoulder. "People's lives don't matter, they ain't worth anythin'. The only thing that matters is ya. Now go!"

Charles watched how Daken slipped silently into the rise field next to them and sneaked noiselessly towards the house, eyes never leaving it or the old woman that was kneeling in front of a table and enjoying her tea. He wanted to tell Daken to not do it, to disappear in the field and run, that it wasn't too late for him to be saved and that he knew the boy didn't want to do it, was afraid of it and that the fear of Romulus was driving him. Instead, he walked over to the house as soon as the boy had slipped into it and watched him sitting down opposite of the woman, who was offering him some tea and telling him what kind of beautiful eyes he had. Charles could easily tell how uncomfortable the boy was feeling, saw his eyes constantly switching towards the shadows on the outside and it pained him to witness everything. Nevertheless, he began to frown as Daken froze in his movements and looked around, if there was anyone he hadn't noticed before. It was obvious that someone or something was whispering to the child, but he couldn't make out the source. Still he felt the presence of someone. The moment he turned back Charles wished he didn't and it became obvious to him that it had been another telepath whispering to the child. Horrified, he watched how the boy extracted his claws and closed his eyes before he practically cut the woman to pieces, blood, skin and body parts flying into every direction until there was nothing left for the claws to reach. Heavily panting, the boy slowly opened his eyes, stared at his work clearly horrified, at his hands and all the blood he was soaked in. Charles only managed to break eye contact as a huge shadow stepped out of the dark and into the house, a heavy pawn instantly back on the shocked boy's shoulder.

Romulus looked at the mess the slaughter has caused, his eyes even for the telepath unreadable. "That wasn't good, Daken. I'm hugely disappointed," he growled and the boy's breath caught in his throat.

"B…but I did what you wanted, master…," he said and tried to make a step back but the sharp claws of the way taller man held him steady.

"No, ya didn't. I told ya t'make it fast, not t'sit down, have a tea 'n a chat," the man replied clearly angry and his eyes narrowed, which made Daken wince. "Ya know what this means, don't ya?"

"Please, I…," the boy began as a large hand connected with his face and sent him flying against the next wall, stars dancing in front of his eyes and jaw broken.

"No!" Romulus roared and approached him. "If yer getting' an order, ya do as yer told! Yer weak, Daken. 'n weaklings ain't worth livin', don't ya get that into yer skull?" he asked and pulled the boy roughly off the ground.

Unable to watch the punishment any longer, Charles continued his journey through this scarred and shattered mind, tried to find out where that bomb was hiding and had to compliment the telepath, who did it, to have it anchored so deep in the mind. He stopped at another memory and watched Daken sitting at a table opposite of an elderly Japanese woman and a younger one next to him, occupied with the last remains of what looked like dinner.

"Are you sure, you don't want more, Akihiro-san?" the older woman asked but he shook his head.

"No, thank you but I really have to go, Yukio-san," he replied I his native tongue and got up, pulling on a black leather jacket and bowed a bit into her direction. "Thank you very much for dinner. Have a good night."

"You, too," the woman replied in Japanese and smiled at him, then began to tidy up.

While he went towards the door and put on his shoes in front of it the younger woman followed him and waited for him to be done. "Why can you never stay?" she asked and leant in to hug him when he opened his arms a bit.

"My caretaker wouldn't agree…," he replied and stroked over her cheek, his eyes catching sight of the clock at the wall. He was gone far too long. Romulus would throw a fit or even worse go looking for him and find out that he was seeing her on a regular basis.

"May I see you again tomorrow?" Amiko asked and looked at him with her deep brown eyes, saw him considering it and then nodding.

"I'll try… I can't promise," he said and cupped her cheek to kiss her. "Good night."

"Good night," she smiled and closed, then locked the door behind him, both oblivious to the shadow that had been watching them for weeks and had already begun to plot against them…

Logan saw Charles frowning even deeper as this one witnessed a memory that took place not much later. He watched how Daken tried to comfort a crying Amiko, who didn't understand why her foster-mother would suddenly commit suicide. He couldn't tell her that the slashes on her wrists weren't those of a knife or razor but of claws that had been covered with metal. He also couldn't save her from the same fate, rushed towards her house as Romulus told him that his father had been seen in the city and was tracking him down. Charles watched how he ran up the stairs and didn't bother to knock, just went inside, stared at the mess on the inside, panting, eyes wide as he picked up on the strong stank of blood and gore, followed it towards the bathroom just to utter a wail and avoid the gaze when he found her hanging in the shower, naked and sliced up like a pig; blood, gore and bowels everywhere, the stank making him sick, his eyes tearing up.

The large hand on his shoulder was suddenly back, faked pity that he couldn't see directed at him. "It seems yer father was already here…," Romulus said with faked sympathy. "Poor girl…"

"Why…did he do that?" Daken breathed and didn't dare to look back at her body, his chest still heaving quickly and his willpower trying to keep himself from vomiting.

"Coz he doesn't want ya t'be happy, son," Romulus replied and led him to the outside. "He hates ya, hated ya the moment ya were created. That's why he murdered yer mother when she was still pregnant with ya. He hoped t'kill ya, too," he added and hid his smiled when Daken threw the first object he could grab against the next wall with an angry roar. "Ya will get yer revenge, my boy. Revenge for yer mother 'n for everythin' he's ever taken from ya."

Then, Charles suddenly found himself standing in some kind of hut, the air so hot that it was hard to breathe at all, the air also rich with the smell of nature but also fire, smoke and death. He guessed that he was either in Africa or somewhere close to it and turned, just to see how Daken, again much younger, probably 9 or barely 10, was pressing himself into the corner of the room, eyes staring at the huge feral in front of him. A small lamp illuminated the room, made the shadows dance while the boy was watching ever step the furious feral made.

"I told ya t'stay here 'n ya don't have anythin' better t'do than runnin' off? Is that how ya thank me?" Romulus roared and wanted to grab Daken, who jumped quickly up and hid underneath the bed, just to have it pulled up and smashed against the next wall by the furious feral. "Did ya think yer father cares? That he would take ya with him 'n love ya? Yer a worthless piece of shit, Daken!" he went on furiously and kicked the boy into the stomach, cracking ribs. He ignored the wail that was being uttered and pulled him off the ground just to slam him down again.

Watching, something in Charles began to click and he knew what was going to happen next, still wished he could help somehow. "I know this will cause you agony, Akihiro," he said aloud and shook his head as he had to watch how the boy was getting the beating of a lifetime. "It's the day when you met your father in Japan and Logan didn't recognize you, am I right? The day you asked for his help and he told you to go back home?"

Jean-Paul and Logan both moved closer to the couch when Daken became restless and was acting as if he was caught up in a nightmare, skin glistening with sweat, fist clenching and relaxing constantly. "What's going on?" the speedster asked and tried to read the faces of the telepaths but both were looking as grim as before.

"Maybe they found that bomb…," Logan said and hated it that he couldn't help.

"Yes, we think we did but this is going to be even uglier than we thought…," Jean told them and shook her head, keeping her eyes closed in concentration. "This guy is even sicker than we expected, Logan…," she added in a whisper and he could tell that she was close to start crying and not talking about his son.

"Darlin', what do ya see?" Logan asked and came to a halt next to her, eyes looking to and fro between her, Charles and his son. "Why's he in so much agony?"

"Because Romulus hid that bomb behind his worst memory…," the Professor mumbled and shook his head. "And there's no way of getting to it directly… We have to watch all of this."

"Of what?" Jean-Paul asked and looked down helplessly when Akihiro led out wails and was acting even worse than before. He tried to read the man's face, tried to see beyond the furrowed brows, clenched jaw, tears and way too fast heaving and falling chest. "I want to see what you see, Professor…"

"Trust me, you don't…," came the reply from the bald man, who was still keeping his eyes closed and was deeply concentrating.

"We do!" Logan growled and put a hand to Jean's shoulder. He had barely blinked once as he suddenly found himself standing next to the speedster, the Professor and Jean in some kind of make shift hut in a way too hot surrounding. "Vietnam?" he guessed but came to the conclusion that it felt so hot because of the fires on the outside. A sniff told him that they were somewhere in Japan. As he turned around, he thought his heart would stop beating as he saw how Romulus knelt over his boy, who was a bloody and weeping mess on the ground, so curled up that he had to look hard to even find the head. Comparing both of them in size made his son look like an ant that was being threatened by a lion.

"When will ya finally understand that no one loves or cares fer ya but me, hm?" Romulus asked, voice calmer but still menacing. "Ya have seen that yer daddy doesn't give a shit about ya, haven't ya? I took ya in when ya had no one left 'n that's how ya thank me? By runnin' off t'daddy 'n beggin' him t'help ya?" When he didn't get any reply, he poked the boy into the rips. "I think it's time fer ya t'become a man, son. Yer bein' shipped off t'a boot camp t'Canada tomorrow," he announced and got up to sit down on the mattress that lay scattered next to the bed. "They'll teach ya some lessons 'n get those useless dreams outta yer skull."

"That bootcamp…," Logan began to think aloud and couldn't take his eyes off his son in shock. "It's were he met Cyber… So he destroyed him…"

"No, Logan… I'm afraid he will be destroyed right now…," Charles sighed and was still waiting for the psychic bomb to appear. "It must be here…"

"Ya really pissed me off today, Daken," Romulus said and undressed. "I think it's time fer ya t'apologize, don't ya think?" he asked and threw his clothes on the ground, waiting for the boy to react. "C'mere." He waited. "C'mere, I said!" he roared and made the boy wince before he willed himself to get slowly up, his body aching even if he was slowly healing and his vision blurred.

His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and he kept his eyes downcast as to not anger the older man any further. "I'm…sorry, master…," he managed to choke out and winced as a huge pawn patted his head affectionately.

"I know, son. Still ya have t'stop bein' a child 'n finally grow up," Romulus cooed and drew him closer. "Only the strong survive… 'n yer still a weakling that needs t'man up quickly."

"B…but how?" Daken stuttered and wondered why his senses were warning him and telling him to run. Still, he couldn't run away again, knew that nothing could ever be worse than being punished for running away. Romulus was smiling at him, that was a good sign, wasn't it? But still, he didn't understand why he was supposed to do what he was told next.

"Right now, people don't care about ya, yer just a mere child t'em," Romulus said, voice low and expecting while he was watching the boy. "But soon, yer gonna be beautiful, so much that others will beg fer yer attention… Then you'll have everythin', son, can take whatever ya want, whatever ya dream of. 'n one day what I achieved will be yers. But first, ya need t'learn an important lesson 'n forget everythin' ya think ya know about people. Now c'mere."

"What the…," Jean-Paul began as he watched Daken undressing and his eyes widened. Now he did understand why the feral was in such an agony. "No… Professor?"

"I can't do anything, I already tried! The bomb must be here. There's no way it isn't," Charles insisted and he and Jean were still waiting for it to show.

In the meantime, Logan and Northstar were watching, one with eyes narrowed to slits, the other with tears in his eyes, how the boy sat down on the bed cautiously, just to be pressed face down into it next.

"T'grow up, ya have t'die a little first. That's what everyone has t'go through," Romulus snarled into Daken's ear and wrapped one hand around the boy's wrist that looked like sticks in his huge hand, the other covering his mouth. "It's like killin' yer enemies, Daken. First, it'll hurt but then…ya feel alive."

Quickly, Northstar turned around, went into a crouch with closed eyes and pressed his hands to his ears. He neither wanted to see this nor hear the voice that screamed as if it belonged to an animal that was skinned alive. "Find this stupid bomb already!" he shouted and felt his heart breaking in his chest.

"There!" Jean suddenly said and pointed at something behind the Professor. "Charles!"

"I've got it. Are you ready, Jean?" he asked and disconnected Logan and Jean-Paul from Daken's mind before he began his work.

* * *

While he was typing on his computer and making the last necessary changes to the machine in the middle of the room, he was watching Reed Richards doing some math on a board. Tony understood the formula but he had no clue what Reed was actually trying to figure out. After waiting another five minutes and watching the man wiping some of the written stuff off, then starting all over again, he simply had enough. "What exactly are you doing there, Reed?" he asked and stopped typing to let Jarvis do the rest.

"How fast is that speedster on Logan's team?" Reed asked without turning around. He was looking at the formula for a minute, then shaking his head and wiping it off again.

"I've no idea…," Tony said and got up to continue working on the machine. They were nearly done. Everything that was left to do was to test it. "Hm… Which uniform to produce first?" he thought out loud.

"Logan's. If it fits him and works perfectly, it will be fine for anyone else," Reed suggested and extended his arm to get another paper from a table on the opposite side of the room.

"Logan?" Tony asked, pulling a face.

"Yeah…"

"He has to enter that machine in underwear…"

"I know that, Tony. We built it together, remember?" Reed sighed and heard how Tony used the intercom to make a call. He froze after hearing a name. "Why did you ask for Jean?"

Shrugging innocently, Tony went on typing on his computer.

Upstairs, Pepper stepped away from the intercom and looked aside when she heard someone approaching. Startled, she stepped aside as a more than furious looking Logan stomped past her, nearly slamming her into the wall, followed by Jean, who tried to reason with him.

"Logan, wait!" she called and finally managed to stop him at the backdoor. "Wait!" She looked into his nearly black eyes with concern and reached carefully out to touch his chest, but he backed off as if he's been burned. She knew he was far over the edge and about to lose it and wanted to get away from them before he would hurt anyone. "Just tell me where you're about to go, okay?" Jean asked and had both hands raised a bit to show his feral side than she meant no harm and wouldn't hold him back.

In front of her, he was heaving heavy breaths and keeping his eyes closed, trying everything not to smash the room to pieces here and now. He needed to go outside and get away from them quickly or he couldn't tell what he'd do next. Therefore, he gathered every control he still had and snarl a barely comprehensible "Out…side…", before he slammed the door open and was gone.

Watching him through the window, Jean tried to figure out how he intended to work off his rage. In the end, they were on an island with hardly any trees close by and he usually let his anger out by turning trees into toothpicks.

"What is the matter with him?" Pepper asked concerned and joined her into watching Logan pacing back and forth like a caged tiger.

"Was that Logan stomping past my door?" Ororo asked next and came to a halt next to Jean, who was still watching him in concern. "What happened?"

The redhead sighed and shook her head, clearly being upset. "He's seen what his father did to his son…"

"That bad…?" Ororo asked and received a silent nod only. "But…he'll be all right again…?"

Jean shrugged and crossed her arms, still watching Logan pacing furiously. "We managed to defuse the mental bomb and got rid of all the programming that was still left in Akihiro's mind, which was quiet a lot… But we can't tell what he'll be like the moment he wakes up unfortunately…"

"What's the matter with him?" a deep voice behind them suddenly asked and they noticed Creed, who was leaning against the doorframe, nearly occupying the whole space between the doorframe with his huge bulk.

"He's angry," Jean told him and noticed how Ororo backed off and closer to her when he came closer.

"Pacin' alone won't do," Creed growled and suddenly smirked, eyes gleaming in joy. "I'll help him."

Watching him moving towards the door, Jean figured out what he was hinting at. "Beating each other up won't help either!"

He chuckled and gave her a look. "Ya still don't understand the beast within, don'tcha?" he asked and headed outside, barking something provocatively towards Wolverine, who instantly turned around, gritting his teeth, extracted his claws and ran into Creed's direction, who had already extracted his nails and was meeting him halfway, running on all fours.

"Men…," Jean sighed with a shake of her head and turned away since she didn't feel like watching both ferals shredding each other.

"Tony asked for you by the way," Pepper informed her and received a nod. "He's still locked up in his makeshift lab." She turned around when she heard someone running down the corridor and it didn't take long and John and Cap looked around the corner.

"Logan and…," John began but the women's faces spoke volumes. "Okay, you already know…"

"Victor is helping Logan to work off his rage and he thought the best idea was to kill each other obviously," Jean told them and, after risking a look out of the window, cringed when Creed left deep gushes in Wolverine's face, who thanked him by gutting him. She could only shake her head. "Makeshift lab, you said?" she asked and Pepper nodded. About to leave for the room, she was joined by Pepper.

"It's probably about trying on a uniform so… I better come with you," she suggested and they left together.

"Men, huh?" Jean asked knowingly and Pepper nodded.

"And Tony is the worst of them."

"Actually,…I think he does most of the things he does to get your attention," Jean teased her and smiled when Pepper blushed. "I mean… You clearly have feelings for each other. You can't deny that."

"Tony is too much of a womanizer to ever be able to maintain a steady relationship," the other redhead replied matter-of-factly.

"That's what I've always thought and said about Logan, too," Jean said and gave the woman next to her a knowing look. "Besides a man always acts like a top dog as soon as he likes a woman and behaves like a complete idiot."

"So true," Pepper agreed. "Except that I can't really picture Logan behaving like an idiot. He's too straight forward…"

"Oh, he has his moments…," Jean giggled and opened the door to the makeshift lab.

"Sweetheart!" Tony greeted her cheerfully until he noticed that Pepper was right behind the redhead and swallowed once. "And Jean," he quickly tried to save himself and acted completely cool. He saw how both women exchanged a look and was convinced that Pepper had just rolled her eyes. "We finished the machine and would like to test it."

"On me?" Jean asked knowingly and crossed her arms, suppressing a smile.

"Yes, because in case the machine doesn't work correctly, which would be Reed's fault of course, if I may add," Tony said and shrugged when Richards gave him a warning glare, "we won't waste so much material. Imagine someone bulky and huge like Logan… Too much wasted material! Someone slender like you…"

"He didn't want to look at Logan in underwear," Richards told the women matter-of-factly and smiled at Tony. "Isn't that right, Tony?"

"No, it's not!" the Avenger replied and got quickly up to prepare the machine. "While it's setting up, I'll explain it to you," he offered and beckoned them to follow him.

* * *

"So it wasn't several men doing this but him alone…," Jean-Paul said matter-of-factly, his monotone voice foreign to his own ears and shook his head, looking down.

"Yes," Charles nodded darkly. He was still sitting close to the window and watching the sleeping feral on the sofa. "Romulus did it to break Akihiro's mind to pieces, to cause a trauma strong enough to break his mind. Another telepath must have locked the real memory away and altered his mind in believing that it happened after he met Logan in Japan but with several men doing this to him, instead of being abused by Romulus for hours… He did it to regain control and shape him into his pawn, to bind him to him and act as Akihiro's protector… And as we have seen in the past, it worked. He followed Romulus blind and was loyal to him alone."

Shaking his head, and looking at the sleeping man on the sofa, whose tears had dried up, Jean-Paul got up to kneel down next to him and stroke over Akihiro's face and through his hair for a moment. "How can a single person be so sick to do these things to a helpless child…?" he said more to himself and swallowed hard as he tried to keep his cool.

"Romulus doesn't care about hurting others. He's running on pure instinct. Nothing matters to him but inflicting pain and agony on others, to control others…," Charles replied, voice still grim and thoughtful. He watched both men for a while, hated to say what he had to say next. "Jean-Paul… It is certain that he will be different after waking up… And I can't tell the how. It is possible that he can't stand being remotely close to you or any other men. You should prepare for this." Once more, he received a silent nod only. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Erasing that memory or checking up on Logan, who might have killed someone by now…?" Northstar mumbled sarcastically and remained on his spot next to the feral. "I'm sure Logan needs you now… He must be blaming himself for not recognizing his son and saving him from this…"

"Logan can't have known."

"We know that. But you know his ways of thinking, don't you?"

"I'm afraid you're right," the Professor sighed and wheeled towards the door. "Will you be all right?"

"For now…," Jean-Paul replied without taking his eyes off the feral. He waited for the door to close before he finally allowed himself to let go.

* * *

Magneto was standing at the window and watching the ongoing brawl on the outside. He hadn't expected anything else from those two animals, had actually waited for them to start a fight and showing their true faces. Sipping on his glass of red wine, he turned as the door was opened and Pietro slipped inside. "Take a good look at those two animals," Magneto sneered, voice like oil. "Their human form is just a masquerade." Sighing, he turned fully around and slumped down in one of the chairs that looked like being stolen from a very rich castle. "So? What did you find out?" he demanded to know and watched how Quicksilver walked over to the window, arms crossed and watched Creed and Logan. "Why is Creed with them?"

"According to that girl he is Wolverine's older half brother," his son told him and Magneto nearly let his glass slip.

"Now that's a surprise…," he mumbled but thinking about it, he had to correct his own thoughts. "Actually,…no it's not. They are too much alike in the end…" And if he thought about Logan's mother, he wasn't surprised anymore either… "So that animal doesn't only have many animal-spawns by now but also a psycho as a brother," he chuckled amused.

"Two brothers actually," Pietro said and came over to him, dismissing the offered wine and sat down on the couch. "Creed is his half-brother paternal side. Then he has another brother. That huge guy. John is his name, I think."

"The one with the beautiful blonde?" Magneto asked and received a nod. "At least he has taste…"

Ignoring the remark, Pietro looked back towards the window. "I couldn't get any information about his son, though. They hardly know anything about him…"

Huffing, Magneto set the glass aside. "Then how about getting to know him better yourself, hm?" he suggested and received a warning look. "Oh, please… I don't mean _that_ way," he chuckled and waved off. "In the end, I'm not looking forward to a bitch fight between that speedster and you. Find out where he comes from, what his skills are… Things that could come into handy."

Pietro looked rather sourly at his father and got up again; not feeling the need to remain in the room any longer. "Well, I think that has to wait," he replied and Magneto gave him a confused look. "He collapsed and is now being treated by the Professor."  
"Hm…," was all Magneto made and didn't look at his son, when this one walked towards the door and froze as he saw who stood on front of it.

"Got a problem?" Pyro sneered and shoved him roughly aside before he entered, followed by Madrox and Juggernaut, both of whom always seemed to be gluing to him. The door went shut. "What's up with all those X-guys being still here?" he demanded to know and crossed his arms.

"Drastic times, Pyro, drastic times," Magneto said and got up. "So?"

"That bitch was already gone when we arrived," the younger man said arrogantly and slumped down on the couch.

"Language, boy, language!" Erik warned him and was once more watching the fight. Wolverine had his claws buried in Sabretooth's stomach and was violently holding on to him, whereas Creed was grabbing the other feral so hard with his hands that his sharp nails tore flesh apart. "Savages…," the master of magnetism said once more with a shake of his head.

"For how long will they be staying?" Pyro asked, already annoyed by just thinking about seeing his former teammates for longer than necessary. "I thought they'd be staying for a day or two?"

"Bitches!" Juggernaut agreed and Madrox remained silent.

"Right! Did you see little Bobby and his supposed-to-be wife?" Pyro asked and both men laughed. "That guy is so gay!"

"Anything else that you have to share with us?" Magneto asked and Pyro shut his mouth instantly. In the end, Erik knew, the younger men respected him to a great deal. "No? Good. Then leave me alone, please!"

"You heard him. Move it!" Pyro ordered the other two men around and they left, leaving Magneto to sigh heavily.

In the meantime, some of the X-Men were gathered in the kitchen and watching the ongoing fight with mixed feelings. On the one hand they were impressed with so much brutal and raw force that both men possessed, on the other hand they were once more reminded of what was actually lurking behind both men.

"I wonder for how many hours they intend to do this…," Ororo said matter-of-factly and hissed when Creed threw Logan down, who, before Sabretooth could even so much as touch him, lashed out at him.

"Knowing them…a couple of hours?" Kitty replied and sipped on her juice. "As furious as Logan seems to be…"

"Makes you wonder what he has seen in his son's mind," Hank said.

"Nothing good obviously," Scott muttered and went through a list with Remy. He looked briefly up as Charles entered the room.

"Are they still on the outside?" the bald man demanded to know and sighed when he received nods. _"Logan, I know you're being angry. But you couldn't have protected your son. You couldn't have known…,"_ he told the feral mentally but slammed against a wall.

"'ow's 'e doing?" Remy asked and Charles knew who the Cajun was referring to.

"Not well… Not well at all…" He turned his head as he heard two voices that he didn't know and it didn't take long for two men to enter the room. He guessed that they had been on the team Erik had sent on a mission right after they had arrived. He didn't know them.

Also the small group was now watching how a very tall, around 6'3'', handsome Caucasian looking man with short strawberry-blonde hair and some kind of star shaped tattoo or brand around his left eye entered the kitchen first, followed by a man around 5'9'' with longer dark brown hair and either of Spanish or Mexican descent.

"Oh, new people!" said the redhead rather excitedly and gave the man behind him a happy look. Instantly, he moved forward and held out his hand for the X-Men to shake it. "Nice to meet you!"

"So then it's you Pyro is constantly bitching about," said the darker haired man and looked at them curiously.

"When's he not bitching?" Scott asked back without looking up from his work.

"True…," the man nodded and sighed as he noticed what the redhead was doing. "Star, we talked about this, remember?"

"I was just connecting with her," the man addressed as Star apologized with a nod at Ororo and noticed the warning look. "What did I do wrong to upset you, Julio?" he immediately asked in a way, as if he dreaded nothing more than upsetting the other man.

This one waved off after a moment. "Nothing…" He then turned towards Storm. "I'm sorry, he's still learning how to act around people."

"It's okay…," the weather goddess replied a bit confused and exchanged a look with her teammates, who could only shrug. She watched how the redhead went over to the man and sulked, obviously not liking the situation between them.

"You're mad at me now?" he asked and reached out to take the brunet's hand into his.

"No, I'm not," Rictor replied and squeezed Shatterstar's hand briefly. "Just still pissed off because of Pyro's behavior earlier…"

Hank turned back towards the window and frowned as he saw how Wolverine was on his knees, body convulsing from time to time and Creed in front of him, first looking angry, then going down on his knees and comforting his younger brother. "They've finished the brawl," he told his group and sighed heavily.

On the outside Logan was still sniffing and keeping his head lowered, whereas Creed had his eyes narrowed. "Would ya stop behavin' like a sissy now, Jimmy?" he growled, since he didn't know how to handle the situation. It's been decades that he had seen him crying the last time and the whole situation was ridiculous to him. Here they sat in the middle of snow, freezing, shirts and trousers shredded, blood everywhere on and around them, and here he was once more playing mother for his younger brother. "C'mon, get a fuckin' grip!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Logan roared and got up to push him angrily away. "What the fuck do ya know, huh? Ya don't know shit!"

Creed growled and pulled Logan up. "Think ya can talk t'me like that?" he snapped and threw him down.

"Ya fuckin' piece of…," Logan began as both of them were torn apart from each other by an invisible force.

"I think that's quiet enough!" Jean said in a voice that didn't allow any disobedience. She heard Victor snorting angrily and watched him stomping past her, before she walked over to Logan, who was still heaving way too deep breaths and had his eyes fixed on the disappearing Creed. It wasn't before a hand touched his cheek that he broke eye contact and looked at her. "I know that you are angry, Logan. I know," she began and he turned his back on her. She sighed and invaded his space anyway. "But there's nothing you could have done to prevent it! You couldn't have known that it was Akihiro, who asked for your help! So, please, stop blaming yourself!" she begged and heard him huffing. Before she could say something else, he spoke up.

"Ain't my fault, eh?" Logan muttered, his voice broken. "If I hadn't failed this goddamn test of worthiness back then 'n had popped my claws, I'd been home that night… I could've saved her… 'n if not Itsu then at least my son!"

Jean sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Then Romulus would have tried it another time, Logan…"

"'n there was no way for me t'recognize him back then in Japan?" he asked, turned around and gave her a hard look. A mask, Jean knew, to protect himself from any further emotional pain. "Victor knew that Taylor was his kid the moment he saw him. 'coz of the kid's scent. Yer kid's scent's unique, Jean. 'n I failed t'noticed…," he said and walked past her. "So don't tell me that I couldn't have prevented it! He has every right t'hate my guts." He had barely made five steps as he ran once more right into an invisible wall. "Damn it, Jean!"

"Logan, do you actually think I'm dumb?" the redhead asked and walked around him, once more noticing that he refused to look at her. Or better said couldn't. Reaching out, she touched his cheek. "Why are you trying so hard and are blocking me out?" she demanded to know and watched how he heaved a deep breath but kept his head lowered still. "Logan, I know you better than anyone else and I can tell when you can't cope with something…"

"Then ya also know that I'd like t'be alone in such a situation…," he grunted and kept staring at the horizon. He wanted to look at anything but at her right now.

"No, I know that you shouldn't be alone as well as your son shouldn't be alone right now," she refused and used her powers to make him finally look at her. Even if she saw into hard and dark eyes, she knew what was lying behind them. "Don't play strong in front of me, Logan, when you're not. You know that I can't stand it!"

He simply looked at her for a long time in silence, his mind blank. "How can ya even look at me, Jean…?" he asked in self-loathing and shook his head.

She wrapped her arms around him and smiled sadly. "Because I see the situation for what it is," she replied. "It wasn't your fault! None of it. You thought your son had died with his mother, Logan! You didn't know he survived. And did it ever occur to you that Akihiro used his pheromones unconsciously and covered his scent when he asked for your help? If it's true and ferals can recognize their child by their scent…, don't you think you would have known it was your son the moment you have seen him?" she asked and waited for his reaction. "He was a child back then. He can't have been in control of his powers. So he probably hid his scent without knowing it. What he has been through for 42 years is terrible, yes, but you couldn't have done anything about it. You didn't know he existed and Romulus made sure you didn't." When she heard him sniffing, she pulled him into a loving embrace. "You weren't able to protect him back then. But you can do so now. Of course both of you will never get back what has been taken from you, but you can protect and be there for him now… You can give him a future, Logan, and a home and family. And that's what he needs. To know that there are people out there who care for him beyond seeing him as a mere pawn that can be used. He needs a stable surrounding to get back on the right path. And you are there to help him!"

He huffed into her neck and pulled her closer. "That is, if he let's me…"

"He will…," Jean said and stroked through his wet hair. "And now go back inside and take a shower."

"Why do you always have t'be so goddamn right about everythin'?" Logan complained after she had taken his hand and was leading him back to the door. "I hate that…"

"Why do you always have to be so overly dramatic and prone to self-punishment?" Jean asked back. "I hate that, too!" she added and was glad that he at least chuckled a bit.

* * *

While he had both arms wrapped around Daken's waist and the feral was heavily leaning on him, an arm draped around the speedster's shoulder, Jean-Paul was staggering down the corridor and trying to reach their room without collapsing. "Just a bit further…," he panted and had really trouble to keep the feral up by now, who, as he guessed, hardly realized where they were going at all or that he was even walking.

"Hey, do you need help?" someone suddenly asked behind him and the speedster came to a halt.

"It's all right, thanks," he said and gave Johnny Storm a brief smile, who came closer anyway and took Daken's free arm to pull him further up.

"C'mon, you're about to collapse!" he said and his free arm went around Daken's waist.

"Thanks…," Jean-Paul said and was glad when some of the feral's dead weight was lifted off of him.

"He's not feeling well, huh?" Johnny noticed and the look he was given spoke volumes. "Does he need a doc? I could get one as soon as we put him to bed."

"No, it's all right. He just needs to rest that's all."

"Okay," Johnny shrugged and they walked down the corridor in silence for the last few meters. Reaching the room, they went inside and he let Jean-Paul put Daken to bed. "Anything else I can do?" he asked.

"No. Thanks a lot for the help," the speedster smiled at him.

"Cap said there's a broadcast of Utopia today. We wanted to watch it together," Johnny informed him and watched how Jean-Paul helped the feral out of his shirt.

"When does it start?" he asked and folded the shirt neatly, knowing how much Daken hated things not being tidy.

Johnny gave the clock a brief look. "Six minutes actually. I was on my way to the TV room when I saw you crawling down the corridor." He chuckled in hushed voice after receiving a look for the tease. "Never mind. See you later!"

"Yeah," the speedster replied and went over to the windows to close the two curtains, before he tucked Daken in. Noticing that he was sleeping again, he stroked through the man's raven black hair affectionately and switched off the lamp, before he headed out of the room to join the others in the TV room.

There, Cap and Hawkeye were already working on the receiver and trying to get a clear picture.

"How's he doing?" Jean asked in a hushed voice and watched him sitting down on the carpet, his back leaning against the couch on which she was sitting.

"Sleeping and pretty much dazed," he let her know and received nod.

"That's normal after a mind was invaded that much. He should feel better after some hours of sleep. At least physically…" He nodded and she turned her head back to the TV.

"Still no clear picture!" Bucky let the two Avengers know and shifted on the carpet. "No… No…" He waited for them to try something else. "No… Stop looking at me so expectantly, I can't change it!" he mocked. "Ah, wait!" he suddenly said and both men froze, not daring to move.

"You look ridiculous," Jubilee commented. "Like a human Christmas tree that tries to keep the candles from extinguishing."

Clint looked through the spot between Cap's arms in front of him and gave her an annoyed look. "Would you like to try it?" he complained and she got up, taking the device Tony had built from them and walked around the room a bit, before she set it in front of the window on the far right. The picture came up immediately.

"Men are so useless," she teased them and went back to sit next to Bobby, who couldn't help but chuckle at the confused looks on the two men's face.

Smiling at the men, too, Jean looked aside expectantly when she felt Logan approaching and it didn't take long for him to enter the room, followed by Creed. Both men had showered and looked like new, hair still damp though. "Calmed down enough?" she asked and made room for him so that he could sit next to her.

"No…," he grunted and wrapped an arm around her. His eyes fell on the speedster to his right. "Where's he?"

"Sleeping," Jean-Paul replied and didn't take his eyes off the screen.

"Did he behave normal or…?" Logan asked and hoped that he didn't have to turn against his own son.

"If being dazed and not realizing what's happening around you is what you call normal…," the speedster shrugged and tilted his head to look up at him. "I can't tell. He was so done that Johnny had to help me putting him to bed. And now he's sleeping."

"No, he's not," Kitty told him and pointed at the door when he gave her a confused look.

Frowning and still confused, he watched how Daken stumbled over to him, a blanket wrapped around his bare chest and went down on his knees between his legs, before he cuddled up to him and rested his head between his neck and shoulder blade. After he had pulled him into a possessive hug, he went completely still against his chest. "I thought you were sleeping…?" Jean-Paul asked in a hushed voice and ran a hand through Daken's hair.

"He's sleeping," Jean told him and earned a confused look. "Logan does this, too."

"I ain't a sleepwalker, darlin'!" Logan said immediately to protect his manliness.

"No, but you notice subconsciously when I'm not around when you're sleeping and you come looking for me then," she told him and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Do you want me to actually tell you how often you've woken up on the couch because I've still been up reading a book or watching TV and you didn't remember getting there?" she asked.

"No, I don't!" he quickly said and paid attention to the TV again, unable to look at his son without feeling a sharp stitch in his heart.

"Of course you don't…," she sighed and shook her head, the turned back to Jean-Paul, who was busy tucking the feral in. "His subconscious must have told him that you weren't next to him, so he came to you."

"We just like t'make sure yer still there…," Logan grumbled and after cooing at him teasingly, she kissed his cheek. "It's true!"

Smiling, Jean stroked through his still damp hair and rested the other hand on his chest. "It's actually a good sign," she said towards Jean-Paul, who gave her a questioning look. "If something was wrong with his mind now, he wouldn't have come looking for you…"

"I hope you're right…," he sighed and wrapped his arms around Daken protectively, as Tony entered the room, a small device in his hand that looked like an ipad of the 10th generation.

"There you are!" he said and came to a halt in front of the table. "And your sweetheart, too. That's good."

"What do you want this time?" Jean-Paul sighed and gave him a rather annoyed look. He didn't feel like being the target of any stupid jokes at the moment.

"I need your height, weight and top speed," the Avenger said and typed something into the flat screen in his hand. "We need to recalculate your suit because the material of your old one is far beyond satisfying."

"5'11'', 185lbs and 186,272 miles per second in a vacuum," the speedster said matter-of-factly and watched his Tony was busily typing the information in.

"Okay…," he nodded and was about to say something as Jarvis pointed out the top speed to him. "Hold on… 186,272?" he asked and Northstar nodded. "186,272?"

"Yes…?"

"That's 99% the speed of light!" Tony said and stared at the man rather shocked.

"I know… You asked for my top speed, that's my top speed. The maximum I can do is Mach 10," Jean-Paul told him and pulled Daken close as this one shifted against him in his sleep.

"_Mach 10 equals 7612.07051 mph, sir,"_ Jarvis voice stated and Tony himself was still staring at the speedster with wide eyes.

"That….is faster than my suit…and our jets….," the Avenger said and looked at the results Jarvis showed him. "So you can do 99% the speed of light?"

Northstar nodded. "If I want to commit suicide, then yes," he replied and Tony began to frown. "You asked for my top speed. That's my top speed. The maximum I can do without injuring myself is Mach 10. Everything above will damage my skin and organs and I can't breathe."

"Hm… " Creating a new file on his computer, Tony nodded at the feral. "His height and weight?"

"5'9'' and I don't know."

"You…don't know?"

"No, I don't."

Tony paused and chewed on his lip before he did a playful gasp. "Don't tell me you're actually the top! This would shatter my world view beyond repair, you know!"

"Oh, shut it!" Jean-Paul cried. "I don't know how much he weights, okay?"

"As far as I remember it was something around 170lbs," Hank intervened before the banter would end up with an angry speedster and a cheerful Tony again.

"167…," Daken suddenly mumbled and all eyes turned towards him. He cracked a sleepy and angry eye open. "Thanks for waking me up, asshole!"

"My pleasure, princess, my pleasure!" Tony waved off. "So 167lbs, all right. I think we can do something about the speed problem… Can you actually fly? I mean by being able to run that fast and considering that you are not really heavy…"

"Few meters, yes. But I prefer running," Jean-Paul replied and heaved a deep breath. "Was that all?" he pointed at the screen where the broadcast was about to begin.

"Sure, don't mind me." Tony finished the typing and gave Daken, who was still glaring at him for the rude interruption a look. "Never thought you were the wife in that relationship," he teased and left the room laughing, whereas the feral flipped him off.

Huffing, the feral rearranged the blanket and tried to get comfortable again. When the broadcast began he looked at the screen with half lidded eyes and tried to concentrate on it, but gave up after his eyes began to close constantly. He hated healing. Not only was it annoying, but also tiring and he hated being tired. It made him feel weak and cold. Freezing, he wrapped the blanket closer around him. He wouldn't admit it but he was grateful that the speedster's arms wrapped themselves back around him to share warmth. When he risked a brief look at the television, he saw how Trask, the frame underneath the channels logo telling them _Minister of Mutant Affairs_, was being interviewed about the latest status of some new law that concerned mutants and was obviously passed.

"_My dear Utopians! As well expected the new law of mutant control was finally passed and we can look towards a bright and strong future."_

He smiled and waved at the crowed in front of them, of which most, as Daken guessed, only cheered because they were threatened by the authorities. He knew this kind of reign, had seen dictators like Apocalypse and Trask in many countries. Instill fear in people, take out those that are against you or could become a problem, make those that can come into handy dependent on you… How he had always enjoyed playing exactly these kind of people…

"_With a majority of votes Proposition X has passed and will take action immediately. What does that mean for Utopians now? Easy answer! Every mutant has to subject to tests that will determine their mutation level in order to regulate mutant breeding. Everything lower than a good level 3 has to subject to birth control procedures to prevent that weaklings are being born. Also mutants of different levels are denied marriage from now on. Despite this new law, mutants are still obliged to register with the authorities according to the Mutant Registration Act. Everyone who refuses to obey will face punishment!"_

"Let's open a bottle of booze because we're officially fucked!" Bobby sneered and shook his head. "How are we supposed to stop this?"

"No idea…," Logan grunted and watched how Trask finished his speech before the channel switched to another execution of supposedly traitors of the state. It was then that Cap switched off.

"Suggestions?" the Avengers asked and looked into the round. "Because I've no idea…" He crossed his arms with a heavy sigh. "So they are already controlling which mutants can breed and not. Great…"

"And they kill off those that are against them…," Kitty added. "We need to get help from those that are against Utopia. We can never do that alone."

"And how?" Elektra asked her. "You can't just cross the border and ask random people whether or not they like their new president…"

"No, be we could try and make a plan on where to attack first," Hawkeye suggested. "Find their weakness and attack them there."

Cap nodded. "The question only is _where_ that weakness is…"

They remained silent for a while, every single on of them trying to figure out a plan, but none could actually think about anything that would help them against this enemy.

"Take the Devils out first…," Daken suddenly said, voice thick with sleep and they looked at him. "Then find out where Master Mold is. Take him out next and in the meantime try to find out who actually controls the authorities. It must be some kind of powerful telepath in order to keep them under control. In the end, take out Sinister…." He paused and his eyes narrowed. "And…_him_…," he went on, "…before you take care of Apocalypse. Get help from other groups you may know. Attack the HQs, destroy their support, cut them off of supplies…" He made a gesture with his hand that indicated they could finish his thoughts on their own.

Cap huffed. "Well, if someone _specific_…," he said and looked at him, "would finally tell us what he knows…"

Daken smirked back at him, clearly enjoying that Rogers depended on him. "You can't wait for me to tell you my darkest secrets, hm?" he mocked and sat slowly up, ignoring his dizziness. "Well, sweetness, if you had told me before,…I could have arranged a meeting. Just you and me, what do you say?"

"Don't…you dare playing with me, I warn you!" Cap warned him and received a satisfied smiled from the feral, who enjoyed that he had gotten another raise out of the man.

"I might tell you tomorrow," Daken went on. "That is…if I feel like it. Thinking about it…," he said and paused, "I probably don't. Because you haven't been nice to me, dear. But I might tell my team…"

"You know what I'd like to do?" Bucky asked and got up.

"No, but if it includes something enjoyable and if you leave your clothes on, you might be allowed to enlighten me!" the feral mocked and smirked when Hawkeye pressed a hand against Bucky's chest to prevent him from hitting the feral. "I'm really tired, precious," Daken said to Northstar next, who was still frowning at him and exchanging looks with Jean. He held out his arm and let the speedster help him getting up. "Thank you, dear" he smiled and wrapped an arm around the man for support.

Logan watched them leaving and gave Jean a look. "Is he supposed t'behave like that?" he asked with a nod at the door.

"I'm quiet surprised myself, Logan…," she replied.

"And I want to punch him!" Bucky glowered and sat back down. "Seriously, your son behaves as if he owns this place!"

"Well, if you would stop attacking him for everything he says…," Kitty replied.

"He started it!" Cap said.

"No, he actually laid out a pretty good plan and earned a slap on the hands from you," Scott accused him. "You don't like him, I get that, but at least give him a chance to prove himself and stop acting like children as soon as you are in the same room. You give me headaches!" he complained and got up. "We meet tomorrow after breakfast and discuss how we proceed. Good night!"

Watching him leaving, Jubilee made an impressed noise. "Someone pissed him off obviously."

* * *

As decided, the X-Men and the other teams gathered in a meeting room after breakfast and laid out the facts that everyone knew: they were up against a psychopath, they were up against a whole nation, they didn't have any real intel and they could also not really tell where their enemy's weakest point was. After they had sat down and talked about the facts and what they had seen on television so far, Tony presented them with the new suits for the Avengers, X-Men team and X-Force. Reed added new suits for his team and added that they were still working on a solution for Northstar, in order to help him run faster while protecting his body and organs from the impact.

After two hours of discussion where to start, Rictor and Shatterstar offered their help for X-Force and Logan suggested that he could call up some friends that still owed him a favor. Scott was about to reply, as the door was opened and Daken strode in, looking much better than the day before and seemed to be well-rested. He aimed for the free stool next to his father and Northstar, smiling at Cap and Bucky before he sat down.

"So?" he asked and looked at Scott expectantly.

"We decided to locate every major spot where Trask produces Sentinels first. There must be a word or two of that Master Mold somewhere in his data," Scott told him and handed him some pictures. "Do you recognize anything on them?"

"Don't you actually think it will alarm them, if you accessed their data?" the feral asked back in a voice as if he was scolding a dumb child and went through the pictures. "Master Mold isn't a machine or program, you know?"

"But?" Cap asked and received a brief glance.

"It was a robot at the beginning but Trask thought that a simple robot wasn't enough, so he came up with something else," Daken explained and made two piles in front of him, adding the pictures to either the right or left pile. "He came up with a highly developed Sentinel next, one that he called Nimrod."

"Nimrod?" Kurt asked and looked up.

"What's a Nimrod?" Logan asked and figured that Kurt and his son where the only ones understanding it.

"According to the book of Genesis," Kurt explained, "it's the great-grandson of Noah and the king of Shinar. He is a man of power in the earth and is…"

"…a mighty hunter before the lord," Daken finished and Kurt nodded. "Genesis 10:8-9… Anyway, Nimrod was highly advanced, but Trask was still not satisfied with it. In the end, even an idiot could tell a robot apart from a person, right? So he tried something else…"

Tony crossed his arms. "He tried to create a human looking Sentinel?"

Daken smirked and his smirk turned into a wide grin as he noticed a person standing next to Trask in one picture. "Lester…," he mumbled and put the picture between the two piles. "He didn't _try_ it, dear, he created a human looking Sentinel!"

"How is that even possible?" Tony asked into the round and the feral smiled at him.

"Ever been to Japan? We are years ahead of you in anything that had to do with technology."

"Never ahead of me!" Tony insisted self-assuredly.

"Right…," Daken nodded and looked at the picture in the middle once more. "But as far as I remember you never actually built a suit in human form, right? Or an android?"

"That….was next on my list!" the Avenger mocked. "I will model him after you, I think."

"Oh, that's so sweet of you!" Daken mocked back.

"What's that Sentinel's name?" Scott demanded to know and looked at the feral, who leant back in his stool.

"Bastion…"

"Bastion…," Cap mumbled. "I think I heard that name before…"

"Trask isn't that stupid to actually keep data on Bastion in any of his places," Daken told Scott. "You would need to find his private place and search there."

Scott huffed and leant back. "Yeah, just that we don't know where that guy is…" He began to frown as Daken smiled and held up the picture.

"But I can find out…," he said, voice sweet like velvet.

* * *

Daken let his eyes roam the room, felt disgusted by the people he saw and their fake attitude and even more so when eyes automatically found him. Of course he liked attention, loved it even but right now, he couldn't care less. He was looking for his special pet, not for someone he just had to turn on his charm for to get laid. Or even worse, someone he only had to look at and that's it. He didn't do cheap persons anyway, if not necessary that is, and the room was reeking of them. He could still feel eyes on his back and narrowed his own. Roger was watching him, he could tell. He walked past dancing people, past smiles and offers he could care less about. He followed the only scent that mattered to him right now and for the first time since his arrival, he smiled.

In a corner, surrounded by some cheap sluts – according to Daken's opinion – sat Bullseye, hood drawn deep in his face to hide the prominent scar on his forehead. Smiling, Daken strode closer, hands in his pockets, walk proud and provocatively as always. His prey was too occupied to notice him, so he took his chance and surprised him. "Hello, Lester…," Daken purred, voice low and pure velvet and the man froze and paled immediately.

"Oh fuck…," Bullseyes cursed, glass shattering on the floor. "Fuck!"

"Yes, maybe later, sweetness," Daken waved off and gave the women a sign to get lost. Still smiling, he sat down next to Bullseye, who was fuming and clenching his fists, teeth gritted. "Long time no see, dear."

"What the… Fuck, what… How?" his opposite began, spitting every word with sheer disgust.

Daken leant his head into his hand and smiled at him. "Which question would you like me to answer first, babe?" he asked sweetly and caught Lester's hand before a piece of the broken glass could only so much as touch his throat. "Tut, tut, tut…," he made and slapped the glass away. "Why so angry, dear? If you're not careful enough, you might end up hurting someone and we don't want this, right?"

"Let the fuck go, you….faggot!" Lester cursed and pulled his hand away, which earned him a low chuckle.

"Still the wildfang, I see…"

"What? Fuck, what the hell do you want, sucker?" Bullseye snarled and backed away when Daken moved closer. "How the fuck did you find me?"

"Oh, Lester, sweet Lester…," Daken laughed and reached quickly out to clasp the man's neck in order to pull his face closer, "I can find you everywhere, dear. I thought you'd learned that lesson by now."

Growling, Bullseye freed himself from the grip and backed further away. "Yeah? So what? Maybe I wanted to be found!"

"Yes, sure…," Daken sighed playfully and acted bored. "You're wanted by the authorities, so yes, it makes sense that you want to be found…"

"Fuck, what the hell do you know, fruit cake?" Lester roared and if looks could kill as good as the man's hands, Daken would lie dead on the ground.

"I know that you missed me, sweetness," Daken purred and moved closer until Bullseye was trapped in the corner.

"You wish, fuckhead! What did you do to your hair anyway? Sick of playing the last Mohican?" his opposite snarled and eyes began to look for a way out nervously.

Chuckling, Daken concentrated his pheromones on his target and he was satisfied when his senses began to pick up on a rapid heartbeat, confusion, want and short breath. "I think I'm right, babe. You missed me. Why else would you're heart beat so fast, if you weren't happy to see me again, hm?" Before Bullseye could throw any more insults at him, Daken had closed in far enough for their bodies to touch and he put a strategic hand on the man's upper thigh. "How about we leave here, sweetness? I can think about better things than watching cheap sluts dance," he purred right next to the man's ear, who swallowed hard. Satisfied with his work, Daken squeezed Bullseye's thigh once and got up, knowing that the man would follow him eagerly. His eyes darted briefly into the corner where Rogers and the rest of the team were sitting, then he moved towards the back door and into the ally. As he had guessed, Bullseye was following him like a good puppy. "So…where to, Lester?" he asked and stopped at a dark spot, only a street lamp above them.

"What…do you want?" Bullseye demanded to know and looked up and down the street nervously, eyes moving so fast that Daken wondered how they could stay in their sockets.

"Poor, Lester, didn't get his medication, hm?" the feral said and invaded his opposite's private space once more, until the man was pressed against the wall behind him. He was in control and he was enjoying every bit of it. He had always loved playing with Bullseye and turning the man into his private and willing pet.

"How with no work, fuckhead?" Bullseye spat, eyes turning to slits, but he didn't even so much as try to push the feral away. He hated the man and his smug smirk, the arrogant and superior way the feral was acting towards anyone, he wanted to tear the man's teeth out, bleed him out, rip off his… Before he could finish the thought he was suddenly grabbed by various hands and pushed hard to the ground. "What the…fuck?" he barked in surprise and looked up, realizing that it was part of the Avengers, part of the Fantastic Four and…_him_… "You…"

"Yes, me," Daredevil nodded and pulled out his stick, but Daken grabbed his wrist. "What the…"

"I wasn't done!" the feral growled and his eyes were fixed on Rogers, who gave him a dismissive look back.

"I didn't look forward to you groping him again, so…," Cap shrugged and pushed him out of the way.

"This was a trap?" Bullseye asked, eyes now on Daken, who had broken his control due to the surprise act. "You… You fucking dicksucker. I swear I'm gonna rip your dick off and watch you bleed out, you…," he spat and fought against the grip he was in.

"You won't do anything!" Cap said and grabbed his chin hard. "Where's Trask?" he demanded to know and, after a surprised look, Bullseye chuckled.

"So that's what's it about, huh?" he laughed and gave Daken an amused look. "You actually sank that low, princess? First, playing the slut for Sinister, now Rogers here can have your ass?"

"Certainly not!" Rogers said while Daken was still glowering at him.

"Yeah, sure," Lester smiled one of his insane smiles. "Are you actually that desperate or dumb to trust this fucker?" he asked him. "He would sell everyone as long as he gets what he wants."

"Is that so?" Daredevil asked sarcastically and looked into Daken's direction. "Well, what a surprise…"

"Of course it is," Lester went on with his rant, eyes boring holes into Daken's, while he was still pressed against the wall by Mr. Fantastic, Spider-Man and Hawkeye. "He's obsessed with power and would even sell his dead mommy to achieve what he wants. Hell, and I thought I was crazy…" He laughed into Cap's face, who gave Daken a sour look. "Ohhh, I hit a sensitive spot, huh?" he asked after noticing it. "Well, too bad! So, tell me Rogers, did he already do you? Your pal Bucky, too? Maybe both of you at the same time? He's good, isn't he?"

"Shut it!" Daredevil said and hit him with his stick. "Where's Trask?"

Smirking at him, Bullseye shrugged. "I don't know. Somewhere with Sinister maybe?" His eyes fell once more on Daken, who was noticeably fuming. "Why don't you ask, princess? In the end, his ass pretty much knows the whole universe." He used his chance to smile provocatively into Daken's direction. "He knows for sure." Then laughed. "I can't believe the great Rogers is actually dumb enough to trust a bitch like Daken…"

Staring Bullseye down, Cap gave Hawkeye a sign. "Fine, then it goes straight to jail for you, Lester."

This caught his attention. "Hey, what? Wait, wait, wait!" he quickly said. "You said Trask?" he asked and laughed. "Right! Yeah, good old Trask. Wait… I think someone told me that he was doing some shit in those warehouses at the docks!"

"Docks?" Daredevil asked and received a nod. "Good. Then it goes straight to the police for you instead."

"Hey, wait!" Bullseye protested and tried to free himself from their grip. "I told you what you wanted to know!"

"Yes, you did and we are very, very grateful. Help appreciated and all of this," Spider-Man replied and noticed that Bullseye was glaring daggers at Daken. "Hey, did you guys actually…?" he began and made a sign with his free hand. "You know…"

"I…certainly don't want to know!" Daredevil cut him off and shoved Daken roughly out of the way, who reacted and started his attack on those that were dragging Lester down the ally.

His punches aimed for their wrists and he used his chance when Bullseye was free to push him ahead. "Go!" he snarled and extracted his claws to give the man time to escape.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cap asked and went into an attack stance, his team ready for an attack behind him.

"I could have extracted the information easily, if you hadn't shown up!" the feral snarled and raised his claws warningly, as Daredevil made a step forward. "Summers told _me_ to get the information and _you_ to make sure that no one interrupts!"

"Oh, so you actually start crying now because you couldn't fuck him before asking the questions we came for?" Bucky asked him provokingly and crossed his arms. "You…are so pathetic! Why do you think Scott told us to tag along, huh? Do you really think anyone of us trusts you only a bit? You are not one of us! And you'll never be one of us. We only tolerate you because you're Logan's son!"

Glaring at him for a moment, Daken retracted his claws and turned wordlessly around, then disappeared in the dark.

"This…was utterly rude!" Spider-Man said and took off his mask. "Seriously, dude, this was a bit over the top!"

Bucky shrugged. "I only said what everyone is thinking."

"Well, I don't," Parker replied and crossed his arms. "In case you haven't noticed but he actually changed and tries hard. Don't expect him to be nice towards you when all you meet him with is hate. I swear, if we return without him, Logan will rip our heads off and I'd like to keep mine!"

**Long chapter after a long wait. I hope you guys like it. Please leave a review and let me know!**

**The chapter was hard to write and I was stuck quiet a lot. The ones that follow me on FB know my rants about this chapter. Lol The Daken/Lester scene was pre-written long ago. I love their dynamic in the Dark Wolverine comics, so this is kinda a homage to the book. Chapter 8 will be quiet dark and the cliffie will definitely be shocking! I can't wait to get there! But first chapter 7 has to be written. I'm currently working on my final paper for college, which has to be 60 pages long, so it might be the end of October, before I can update again, since I will also have to prepare for one of my finals for November. **

**Please review and I'll try to update a.s.a.p.! Take care!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

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**I was told by many that some are not getting any alerts. I don't understand why. I got around four alerts after I put chapter 6 up (why 4, I've no idea) and I often get some for a chapter that isn't even there. I wonder what's wrong with this site again…**

**Anyway, please review! It's lots of work to actually squeeze in the time to write, so let the writers know what you think, no matter how short the review is!  
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**! I decided because of the Alert-Problem to have set dates for updates. Next update will be around Nov 25-27!**

**!Don't forget to leave a review! It sucks when 5 out of 100 hits leave a review. I take my time to write this story for you, so take yours to give your opinion after reading it!  
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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 7**

"What's yer name?"

"Wat's yo aim?"

"No, what's yer name?"

"Yo aim?"

Logan sighed. "What's yer name?"

Sitting on his father's stomach, Jamie looked at him through his green eyes. He had no idea what his father actually wanted from him, but the fact that the women on the sofa opposite of them were cooing like hell, gave him the impression that he was doing good in being cute.

"What's yer name?" Logan tried once more and pointed at his son, emphasizing the _your_ this time. But his youngest didn't want to do him any favors today and pointed back at his father instead.

"Yo aim?"

"No, not mine. Yours!" Logan sighed and pointed at himself. "My name's Logan. What's yer name?" he asked.

"Noooo!" Jamie suddenly cried and shook his head, pointed at his father. "No Logan!" he protested. "Daddy!"

Letting his head sink in defeat, Logan shook his head with closed eyes whereas Elektra, MJ and the others were laughing their heads off. Growling playfully, he picked Jamie up to growl into his stomach and made the boy laugh in joy. "Tryin' t'be overly cute again, huh?" he asked smiling and held Jamie up into the air.

"No," his son said, shaking his head.

"Aww, c'mon! Yer always so sneaky with bein' cute, kiddo!" Logan teased and put him back onto his stomach. He watched how Jamie gave Elektra and the others a look, before he stood up to look over the backrest. "Yeah, just stomp on yer old man's belly…," Logan grunted and held on to the boy's legs so that he wouldn't fall over. "Who's there, huh?"

"Hi!" Jamie greeted and waved.

"Hi!" came the reply and Logan sat up to look over the backrest, too.

"Hey, Kazu," he said, still holding onto Jamie, while he watched how his grandchild was playing with a ball. "Where's yer papa, huh?" he asked and received a confused look from the half-Japanese boy. "Papa wa doko da?" he repeated in Japanese and Kazu pointed towards the door. "Ah…," he nodded, still having no clue at all. After helping Jamie to the ground, he sat back and watched both boys interacting with each other. He was still amazed how children developed a language of their own. He hardly ever understood what Jamie was trying to tell him, but his son knew and obviously Kazu did so, too, since he was replying by using the same incomprehensible words his son was using.

"They are growing up way too fast, don't you think?" MJ suddenly asked him and sighed in a melancholic way.

"Oh yeah…," Logan nodded and chuckled when Jamie fell on his butt. "Careful, kiddo!" Only shaking his head when both boys began talking to each other once more in their own language, he ran a hand through his hair and made a face. He still wanted to curse Jean for this stupid idea.

"It already grew back, Logan," Elektra tried to soothe him but he noticed the teasing undertone in her voice. Noticing his glare, she laughed. "I'm sorry, but you can't scare me at the moment. You're looking too handsome right now."

Huffing, he lay flat down on the couch and rested his chin on his arms, watching the boys playing. Suddenly, he smirked and grinned at them sheepishly. "That's the reason why yer all sittin' here, hm?" he asked the six women, who were trying to sit on one couch together and looked like hens that had been squeezed together. Nodding knowingly while they were blushing, he turned his attention back to the boys. His eldest and the group hah hardly left, much to his dismay since he still thought it wasn't a good idea to actually send Cap and Bucky alongside Daken, when Jean had surprised him not only with her hair hidden under a black wig, but also with telling him that he needed to cut his hair and shave. Why? Because Ray's birthday was coming up and they needed to buy a present and he was sticking out like a thorn in public. Of course he had thanked her for that "nice" remark. So in the end, he had cut his hair, yes, but left a three o'clock shadow. He hated feeling….naked.

When they had met at the kitchen and the women of the house had started to gush all over him, he could only say "'n my usual look draws too much attention, huh? Yeah….riiiight, darlin'!" to his wife, whose eyes were glued to his face and, as he guessed, hadn't understood one word he'd been saying anyway. So in the end, they had headed over to Canada and stuck to a small town, where they were of course _not_ drawing any attention at all. He hated people staring at him and even more so: men staring at his wife.

"It's okay, honey, calm down," had been Jean's favorite sentence during the brief shopping trip and she had to use her powers to stop him from turning and punching a guy, who had dared to whistle at her.

So while she had gotten rid of the wig as soon as they had returned, and if he was honest to himself, she looked hot with black hair, too, but he preferred his redhead, he had to wait for his hair and muttonchops to grow back. Of course, no one sympathized with him suffering at all… The world was against him, that was no secret at all…

"Kazu!" he heard Northstar suddenly saying and could easily tell that the man was displeased. "Why are you up?"

"Why shouldn't he be up?" Logan asked, frowning and received an are-you-kidding-me-look in return.

"Because I think a three year old should be in bed at past 10 p.m., don't you think?" Jean-Paul mocked and picked Kazuki up, but not without a huge protest of the boy. "And you don't need to start a tantrum now, I put you to bed three hours ago for a reason."

"NO BED!" the boy cried and was carried off.

"It's really past 10?" Logan asked and checked the clock on the wall. "Shit!" he cursed and got quickly up to pick Jamie up. "Mommy will bite daddy's head off, if we don't get ya into bed now, kiddo," he told his son and had just reached the door when Jean came around the corner.

"Mommy will bite daddy's head off, yes!" she confirmed and he smiled at her sheepishly.

"I…didn't know it was that late already," he apologized and tried to play the hey-I'm-sexy-and-you-love-me-so-you-can't-be-mad-at-me-card.

"Mhm…," the redhead made and gave him a sign to get moving. "Say night, Jamie!"

"Night!" the boy said and waved at the women on the couch, who waved back, cooing at him.

"Yer worse than yer eldest brother…," Logan grunted at the reactions his son was getting and followed Jean back to their room, where they put their youngest to bed. "Ya ain't mad now, are ya?" Logan asked after they were on their way back to the living room and received a look from her. "Hey, I'm actually running around half-naked for ya!" he tried to convince her and pointed at his face, which made her smile.

"I wouldn't mind, if you ran around like that even lobger…," she teased and laughed when he pulled a pained face. Smiling, she linked their arms and leaned against him. "You look sexy that way, baby," she added in a hushed voice, which made him stop and wrap his arms around her middle.

"Sexy, huh?" he growled huskily into her neck and kissed it.

"Mhm…" Jean nodded and stroked down his chest, something he commented with a deep growl. "Almost as good as Hugh…" She giggled when he glared at her.

"Ya just destroyed the mood. I hope yer happy!" he grumbled and continued down the corridor, followed by her. "Even Paul looks better than this sissy!" he said as they had reached the living room again.

"Hey!" the speedster complained and shifted Narya in his arms, who was leaning against him. "Leave me out of this!"

"She started it!" Logan said and pointed at his wife, while he sat down on the couch, sulking.

"Aww, honey, come on," Jean cried and straddled his lap, her arms resting on his shoulder. "You look better of course…" He huffed. "Really, baby! I was just teasing you."

"Yeah, that's what yer doin' the whole day through already!" he kept on sulking, earned a kiss from his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Still, ya destroyed the mood…"

"_It's not as if I can't get you into the mood anytime, honey…,"_ the redhead said mentally and smiled at him, before she moved off of his lap and cuddled up to his side. "Are they still not back?"

"No…," Jean-Paul replied.

"Come on, he'll be fine!" MJ tried to soothe him and received a look that spoke volumes.

"He's out there with people that hate him… Yeah, he'll definitely be fine," the speedster mocked. "I've got a bad feeling and I've never been wrong when it comes to that…"

Logan nodded. "I ain't fine with it either…"

"Well, if Cap or anyone else has been mean to him, that person gets their ass handed to them by daddy anyway, isn't that so?" Elektra asked and looked at Logan, who nodded once more.

"Ya can bet on it!" he huffed and pulled Jean closer with one arm. He glanced at her and stroked through her long hair, taking in her scent.

"Someone please make me blow up…," he suddenly heard Heather crying and chuckled when she waddled inside the room. "That's not funny, Logan!"

"Yeah, it is," he grinned and it earned him a slap on the arm from his wife. "Hey!"

"Men… You have no idea what it feels like to…"

"…be fat 'n unhappy 'n constantly bitchin' 'n hungry, not t'forget cryin' constantly 'n no matter what yer poor hubby's do, we always get shouted at…," Logan finished Jean's sentence.

"Who's fault is it that we grow fat?" she challenged and was smirked at.

"Yers t'fifty percent, baby," he grinned and wobbled his eyebrows.

"He…actually has a point…," Ororo nodded and made room so that Heather could sit down between her and Narya, who sat down on Jean-Paul's lap. "How many more weeks?"

"Three…," the redhead sighed and stroked her belly. "And James is driving me insane…"

Laughing, Jean nodded. "They are good in doing so, aren't they?" she asked.

"Ah, ah, ah, wait a second, darlin'!" Logan interrupted her and shook his head. "Actually, it's ya drivin' us insane, all right?"

"Is that so?" she asked and crossed her arms, looking at him sharply and he nodded.

"I'd know, darlin'… I'm speakin' from experience!"

"Oh, really?"

He nodded. "I just want t'remind ya of the fact that it was me who could get up at night t'get yer favorite ice crème from who knows where!"

While they were bickering, the others watched them and exchanged glances. "You can so not tell that they have the hots for each other, huh?" Jean-Paul asked while cuddling up to Narya, who stroked through his hair.

"Well, looking at the two of you…," MJ replied and gave them a curious look, "…one would actually get the impression that you're a couple…"

"That's normal for them," Heather informed her. "They've always been like that, kissing included."

"Hey!" Narya complained and stared at her, mouth agape.

"It's true, you can't deny that! Where is your other half anyway?"

"Being tortured by Tony," Pepper informed her. "He is fitting those uniforms." She was watching the speedster and the blonde and had to agree. "Couple… Isn't John getting jealous?"

Narya shook her head. "Why should he be jealous of someone, who's not into women? There's no danger for him. Besides he knows that Paul and I have always been close and that we're best friends." She gave the couple on the opposite couch a look. "Guys, are you finally done bickering?"

"Nope!" Logan grumbled and crossed his arms, the same Jean had done before.

"That can take a while...," Ororo told the group and sighed.

"So John is cool about this?" Elektra asked Narya and once more received a nod from the blonde. She whistled. "Matt definitely wouldn't be cool about this. Especially not when he knew that Paul had a thing with a girl once…"

Logan looked up and chuckled. "Were ya drunk?" he asked and laughed when the speedster narrowed his eyes. "'kay…ya were. As I thought." But he began to cock an eyebrow when he noticed something else. "No, seriously?"

"What?" Jean-Paul asked annoyed and hoped the feral would understand that he wanted him to shut up.

"Oh, my God…," Heather suddenly gasped next and Narya groaned, her face crimson red.

"We were both completely drunk, okay? End of story!" she cried and hid her face on the speedster's neck. "Why did you tell them…?" she growled.

"I didn't say your name. It was you starting to glow like a traffic light just now and who gave it away," he mumbled back and gave the clock another impatient look. "They are gone far too long, Logan…."

The feral nodded and by now he began to feel nervous, too. It was nearly midnight and the group had left around 5 p.m. They were definitely gone too long and the fact, that Scott had to send Cap along with his son, wasn't something he particularly liked either.

"They are still not back?" Scott suddenly asked and entered the room, nodding after receiving a "no" from Jean. Instantly, he turned around again to head for the intercom that provided a secure line. He had barely typed in the number as someone approached him and he didn't like at all what he saw. Dropping the device, he crossed his arms and listened to the explanation he was getting from the team. No, he didn't like it at all. "You've got to be kidding me, right?" he asked, boiling with anger. "Why did you do that? I asked you to make sure he can interrogate Bullseye alone and that no one interferes except Daken was in danger!" he scolded Cap, who crossed his arms in return and looked at the ground. "Where's Daken now?" he asked and turned his head into Spider-Man's direction, when this one mumbled something. "What?"

"We don't know…," Reed replied. "We spent three hours looking for him. He's gone…"

"Gone?" Scott repeated and nodded sarcastically. "So I send you with him as his back-up, you insult him…"

"We didn't…," Cap began as Spider-Man interrupted him and pulled off his mask.

"You _did_ insult him!"

"…you insult him," Scott went on through gritted teeth and made a step forward, "and then you just lose him in the country that probably has him as one of its most wanted lists?"

"They did what?" Logan asked and his eyes narrowed to slits as he came closer, focusing on Cap. "Where the fuck's my son?" he demanded to know and pushed Cap against the next wall.

"We don't know where he is…," the blond replied and was flanked by Bucky and Hawkeye, who tried to be ready in case that the feral would attack their boss. But all he did was glaring daggers at Cap, who looked back neutrally.

"Then we have to find him and that quickly," Scott said and took the phone before he went back into the living room. There he threw the phone into Northstar's direction, earning a confused look from the man. "Has Daken his phone with him?"

"He always has his phone with him…," Jean-Paul muttered, not understanding at all what was going on. "Why?"

"What happened?" Jean asked and got up, her eyes on Scott, who looked more than sour. "Where's Akihiro?"

"They left him in the States…," he said and Narya would have fallen off of the speedster's lap, if she hadn't already moved off it, when he stood up quickly. Scott looked at him. "Try to get him on the phone, JP, and ask him where he is! Try to convince him that I didn't give the order for them to intervene but to stand down!" he ordered and the man instantly began to dial the number he knew by heart, but not before leaving the room and heading down the corridor where he could still hear Logan barking at Cap in rage.

The speedster went right through the men that stood around Cap and Logan, blue eyes fixed on the blond man and before Logan had even so much as blinked, Cap had uttered a low _uff_ and had crashed into the wall first, then slid to the ground, holding his bruised jaw. "You were supposed to protect him, you fucking asshole!" Northstar barked at him, using his speed to evade Hawkeye and Bucky that tried to restrain him. Instead, he brought them down next and faced Cap once more, who was standing on his two feet again and glared back at him. "If something happens to him…," Jean-Paul snarled and gave the man another hard push, "the you'll better get out of my way!" After shooting the man another death glare, he turned back around and tried once more to reach Daken on his phone.

"Woah…," Spider-Man made impressed and watched the speedster retreating while a more than pissed looking Jean appeared. "That looks like trouble…"

"It does indeed…," Reed nodded and made room when Jean went past him. Before he could say anything Cap and Bucky already slammed into the wall and were being kept in the air. "Woah…"

"Woah indeed…," Spider-Man nodded and backed off, pretty much as everyone else was, except for the approaching X-Men and Logan, who remained were he had been before.

"You were supposed to protect him and instead you leave him in the States?" Jean asked the two men angrily, eyes fiery. "Do you have any idea, any idea at all how much hard work we actually put into him?"

"He can't be…trusted!" Cap managed to say and gritted his teeth as he was pushed even harder into the wall.

"Who are you to judge him?" Phoenix snarled and sent the men flying into the opposite wall, where she kept him. "You have no idea what's been done to him and what he's been through in his life! So how dare you judging him!"

"Don't you want to stop her?" Hawkeye asked Logan, who was watching everything completely calm and with crossed arms.

"No…," was all the feral said. He watched how Phoenix kept the men in her grip and played with them as if they were mere dolls. The animal in him enjoyed it even the more and felt proud to have such a strong female as his mate, but he knew it was getting out of hand as she must have either picked up on a thought she didn't like or was overwhelmed by what she had seen in his son's mind and her eyes began to turn black. "Darlin'," he quickly said and stepped between her and her prey to force her to concentrate on him. "Calm down…"

Blinking, but still breathing heavily, Phoenix dropped both men carelessly on the ground. "I'm sorry…," Jean said as soon as she was back in control but Logan shook his head.

"Don't be. They didn't deserve better," he replied and stroked over her cheek. "Can ya locate him?" he asked hopefully and didn't like the sigh she uttered.

"He has strong telepathic shields. Even stronger than yours. If he doesn't want to be found, even I won't be able to pick up on him, Logan…," she explained and his face fell. Reaching out, she touched his cheek. "I'll wake Charles. Maybe we can locate him together," she tried to soothe him and left after he nodded.

His eyes instantly fell on Cap and Bucky, who were both getting slowly up. "'n ya better hope she can find him!" he warned his friend. "Coz I won't stop my beast from hurtin' ya!" Angrily, he stomped down the corridor and followed the scent of Northstar, not caring about the still scared looks some of the others were wearing.

"His wife surely is powerful…," Reed Richards said impressed.

"Oh, you have no idea…," Ororo replied and crossed her arms. "Not liking someone is one thing, but leaving a team mate behind is unacceptable!"

"We couldn't find him, okay?" Cap snapped and still held his hurting jaw.

"Besides if you had heard what Bullseye has actually told us about Daken, you would think twice about getting him back!" Bucky added and rubbed his hurting neck. "Damn, she nearly broke my neck…," he cursed.

Cap huffed, rubbing his aching jaw. "Who would have thought he could hit _that_ hard…"

"Bullseye?" Scott asked and stopped next to Ororo. "You actually trust someone like Bullseye?"

"I can tell when that guy is lying and he wasn't!" Daredevil replied. "He said we were insane to trust someone like Daken and that he would sell anyone in order to get what he wants."

"I can't believe you didn't stop him, Matt…," Elektra said straight into his face and tried to sound as disappointed as she was. "You don't know Daken at all. You never gave him a chance to begin with. And now he's out there in the very country we actually try to destroy."

"Well he always says he's so smart, so he will find a way out, won't he?" Bucky asked. "We spent three hours looking for him, he was gone. Maybe he's already back with them, who knows?"

"You disappoint me!" she said and turned to leave.

In the living room, Logan was still pacing and keeping his eye on Northstar, who kept on dialing the same number over and over again. He was pissed and pissed was in fact a big understatement. He wanted to shred Cap and his team, no matter if they had something to do with this or not, but only thinking that Romulus might have followed his son and was doing who knows what to him now made him…

"Hiro?" Jean-Paul said utterly surprised and had jumped out of the chair. "Where are you?" he demanded to know and waited for a reply, giving Logan a sign to just wait and let him handle this. "No, no one's listening in, just tell me where you are, please!"

Logan sighed and leant on the couch, listening in to what was being said. Thanks to his hearing ability, he was able to understand every word his son was saying to the speedster, which wasn't much. Whatever must have happened between him and the Avengers had made him more that just distrustful of them again. When he heard someone coming closer, he turned to give Scott a sign to remain silent and wait, noticed that also some of the X-Men, Mac, Parker and Johnny Storm had followed him and were also watching the speedster, who gave them looks from time to time.

""Dit moi juste où tu est ?"…," they heard him pleading and Logan waited as much as Jean-Paul was, both looking at each other. After a minute of silence the speedster shrugged. "Hiro?" he asked and waited another few seconds, before he finally got a reply. "All right. Just stay there and don't do anything stupid, okay? I'll be there in less than an hour!" he promised and shut the phone. "He's at Trump International in New York," he told the group and walked over to Logan.

"Trump…International?" Johnny asked and whistled impressed. "Either he's rich as hell or he found someone, who…" He was silenced by the look the speedster gave him. "Hey, I'm not against him, okay? I actually think he's quiet cool."

"How do we proceed?" Jean-Paul asked Logan and Scott.

"We can't just fly over and park in front of the hotel…," Scott thought out loud.

"The docks are very close to the hotel," Parker told him and received a nod. "Central Park, too, but Sentinels are patrolling there and MRD should become a problem, too."

"I don't care. They get in our way, they'll die, period," Logan growled and crossed his arms. "I say we hide at the docks. It's easier t'escape by water than in the middle of New York."

Scott nodded. "Agreed. We go in civil. Uniforms will only make us look suspicious. And not every one is going. In case we get caught, we need back up." He looked around the room. "Besides you and JP, I'd say Parker's coming, too. He knows New York the best. Storm for diversion… What's your power again?" he asked Johnny, who gave him a shocked look.

"Excuse me?" the man said playfully outraged and turned into a living flame. "Never heard of the…"

"Save it, kid!" Logan grunted and walked past them. "Let's go!" he demanded and let Jean know through their link that they were ready to head off to New York.

"_Be careful!"_ she warned him and looked at Charles, who sat opposite of her in his room. "I hope they'll bring him back… It would be devastating, if our enemies get their hands on him again…"

He nodded. "I know. I don't even want to think about what Romulus would do to him, if he ever got his hands on Akihiro again… The boy has already suffered enough under that man. But I'm confident that Jean-Paul will convince him to return to us. He's the only constant he has and he trusts him."

"I hope you're right, Charles…," the redhead sighed and concentrated on what the rescue team was doing. "They are in the jet and about to head for New York," she let him know.

"Let's hope they won't run into our enemies…," the Professor said and she nodded. "I don't even want to imagine what might happen, if they get caught…"

"Don't even think about it!" Jean warned him and began to feel angry again. "I can't believe Steve would just leave him behind! Even if he doesn't like Akihiro that's still no reason…"

"I know. It's no secret that Akihiro dislikes Steve, too, the animosity between them is even stronger than Scott's was towards Logan… I do understand of course that it's not easy to trust someone, who has been with our enemies, but I think that Akihiro has proven that he actually wants to belong. He has made such progress," Charles said and smiled. "Did you know he talked with Kitty about politics, ethics and evolution for nearly two hours?"

Jean gave him a surprised look. "No, I didn't…"

"She said he was the first one she could actually debate with on eye level, next to Hank, of course, that could hold his ground against her. The only complaint she had was that his view of the world and people was rather dark…"

"Is that a surprise after how he was raised?" Jean asked ironically and he shook his head. "My only concern is Jean-Paul…"

"Why is that?" he asked and looked at her intently.

"I couldn't see anything close to affection or understanding of relationships in Akihiro's mind. He doesn't understand the concept of being with someone just for the sake of it. It has always been about gaining something out of it for him, about control over another person or manipulation to achieve a goal. And experiencing such a trauma as a child, who doesn't know or shouldn't know things about intimacy as much as was forced onto him,…" She shook her head. "What if he's with Jean-Paul only because he needs the pain? A normal person that never dealt with his trauma would hate being with men…"

Thinking about it, Charles nodded and folded his hands. "I know what you are hinting at, Jean, but let me assure you that he has feelings for Jean-Paul. He doesn't understand them, yet and is confused by them, but he has them. That's why the psychic bomb was backfiring and he was in so much pain. Whatever this telepath or Romulus did… Somehow Akihiro has found a way to protect himself from further trauma. Probably by detaching himself from whatever has been done to him or by pushing emotions aside. But he has them. He just needs to learn…"

"I hope you're right, Charles…," Jean replied and concentrated briefly, then harder. "Logan's mind is fading… I guess they reached New York." She felt how he took her hand into his with a smile.

"I think one telepath isn't enough to block out two of the most powerful ones, don't you think?" he said quiet self-assured and helped her to stay connected with Logan and the others.

* * *

With the phone in his hand Northstar ran at full speed through the streets and followed the directions Spider-Man had given him. He hoped the group was okay, hiding in the Hudson River, and that they would remain undetected until he returned. With Daken, hopefully. As he had finally reached the Trump International Hotel and Tower, he looked up at it in awe and went inside, immediately figuring that he was way underdressed for this place, even under Apocalypse's reign. Not to forget to mention that people stared at him as if he was some kind of trash.

"May I help you, sir?" a man asked and looked at him as if he was a rat that had dared to enter a golden palace.

"Yes, uhm… I'm looking for a friend," he replied and realized that he had no idea under which name Akihiro had checked in.

"15th floor, last room to the right, sir," the man said to his great surprise and nodded into the direction of the elevator.

"Thanks…," Jean-Paul replied skeptically and found himself on the 15th floor only minutes later. He followed the direction given and stopped in front of the last door, as he had been told, his heart racing in his chest. How could he be sure that this wasn't a trap? He trusted the feral, of course, but how come the man knew who he was looking for? His eyes quickly darted down the corridor and he made sure no one was looking or close by, before he activated his com device in his ear. "I'm at the door," he whispered and waited for Logan's okay, before he reached carefully out to knock, but the door was already opening and two eyes glaring at him.

"Come inside!" Daken snarled and pulled him into the room, before he checked the corridor briefly and locked the door again. He then went back over to where he had been sitting and dining, giving the speedster, who was looking around the room in awe looks from time to time. "Never seen an apartment before?" he asked after swallowing and two blue eyes came to a rest on him.

"Who is paying for this?" Jean-Paul asked and came slowly closer, still looking around the huge and very expensive looking suite. He had taken notice of Daken's clothes, too, which looked equally expensive as the rest.

"I am…," the feral replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"You…," Northstar began, mouth agape and went over to the window from where he had a good view on the city and Central Park. If it wasn't for the Sentinels patrolling the ground and air, he would have called the view beautiful and astonishing. "How come you have so much money?" he finally asked and looked at the feral, who was sipping on his wine and watching him intently.

"You never asked…," was all Daken said, before he emptied the glass and refilled it, then got up to walk over to the speedster and handed him said one. "You should try it. It's delicious," he mused and aimed for a room nearby.

Following him, Jean-Paul watched how he went on packing equally expensive looking clothes neatly into bags. "Hiro…"

"What are you supposed to say, hm?" the feral cut him off without interrupting his work.

"Scott gave the order to back you up. Not to interfere with your work!" Jean-Paul tried to convince him, but didn't get any reaction. "They were all furious with Rogers and Bucky for having left you behind!"

"Oh, really…?" Daken mocked and closed the doors of the now empty wardrobe, before he opened some drawers and packed the clothes into the bags next. While doing so, he watched how Northstar put the empty glass on the bedside table and rummaged in the pocket inside of his thick jacket. "Not afraid that I put poison into the wine, dear?" he asked and received a look that spoke volumes. "I did it before you know…? Killing someone by untraceable poison… Perfect crime."

"And why would you poison me, hm?" Jean-Paul asked and handed him a small screen.

"You know too much!" Daken replied emotionlessly.

"Press the button," his opposite replied and sat down on the bed, still not getting enough of how expensive everything looked. He then began to eye Daken's clothes more closely. Perfectly fitting black trousers, a tailored and definitely handmade white shirt, at least from the way it fitted the feral's body perfectly and an equally expensive looking black vest. The shoes, at least as far as he could guess, in the end he had no clue about fashion – much to Jubilee's surprise – were Italian and Daken even smelled expensive. "That smell…?" he asked and it earned him a brief look.

"Chanel, dear. Chanel…," the feral mocked and finally pressed the button on the screen, his eyes instantly narrowing to slits. "Don't bother!" he snarled and Logan on the opposite side of the video conference realized for the first time that the glare was directed at Scott. He turned around to give the man a questioning look, but Scott shrugged.

"What happened that ya ran off?" Logan asked calmly and didn't like the dangerous glint in his son's eyes at all. From experience and earlier fights he knew that it only took that much to make him snap.

"Why don't you ask _him_?" Daken asked, voice tensed and glared at Scott as if he was ready to shred him, if he could reach through the screen. "You want me on your team because of _my_ abilities, hm? Because I _know_ so much and I'm a _great_ addition to the team," he mocked and his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes, and that's true," Scott shrugged and crossed his arms, frowned when Daken began to laugh.

"Right…"

"What happened?" Logan asked once more, wanted reached out to touch his son. He was surprised that Daken suddenly gave him the same hateful look.

"I'm sick of your lies, of your nice faces and 'Oh, we accept you and you're a part of us'-shit!" Daken snarled. "You…don't give a fucking damn about me nor do you accept me. No one of you!" his son went on with his rant and slapped Logan virtually in the face. "I don't mean _shit_ to you!" he added bitterly and disappointment became visible in his eyes for a brief moment.

"That's not true…," Logan replied and shook his head, searching for a way to get through to his son.

Daken merely smiled. "How about we all stop lying to ourselves, Logan?" he asked and his father flinched as the use of his name. Logan knew it was a huge step back from what they had accomplished. In the end, his son had at least called him father lately. "You want me to stay because you're too afraid that I'd turn against you, because then you'd have to think about putting me down for good and since we all know that you're weak when it comes to your offspring…" He crossed his arms and gave the group a cold look. "You don't give a damn, let's face it," he added in barely more than a whisper.

"Yer my son! 'f course I give a damn about ya!" Logan said loud enough for him to hear and received a wary look.

"Yes, biologically maybe," Daken replied. "But I'll never be a son family wise…"

"God damn it!" Logan cursed and wanted to add something else but the younger feral had already switched off the screen again.

"That didn't go so well…," Scott sighed and crossed his arms.

"Oh, really?" Logan snapped and glared at him from aside. "If he ain't comin' back, I swear t'God Rogers 'n his team are history!" he growled and Spider-Man made an audible gulp.

"Hey, this…includes me and…I'm here, right?" he said and pointed at himself.

"Let's hope JP can convince him now…," Scott said unimpressed and kept his eyes on the screens that showed them their surroundings. Up to now they had been lucky and no one had patrolled the area where they were hiding in the jet. But they could never be too sure…

* * *

"Don't bother!" Daken snapped and went on packing after throwing the screen onto the bed.

"Logan does love you and cares about you! Just because those idiots don't, doesn't mean that no one does!" Jean-Paul began and held on to the feral's arm. "Why else do you think we came looking for you? Because we don't care?"

"Because you don't want me to turn into your enemy maybe?" Daken mocked and tore his arm free but his hand was grabbed next. "Let go!" he snarled.

"Logan lost you once, he fought so damn hard to make you stay. Don't throw this away!" the speedster begged and looked at him pleadingly. "And if you don't want to stay for them…then do it at least for me!"

"Why should I?" the feral demanded to now, voice cold and pulled his hand free. "Because we had a nice time? So what?" he asked and his eyes widened in surprise as the speedster suddenly pushed him against the wall to his right.

"You told Logan to stop lying to himself," Northstar said, voice serious. "How about _you _finally stop lying to _yourself_?"

Daken gave him a push back, a snarl echoing in his throat. "I'm _not_ lying to myself!"

"Oh really?" his opposite mocked and crossed his arms. "You keep on telling yourself that you don't need anyone, that you are perfectly fine all alone, that you don't like anybody."

"And it's true!" came the snarl back.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me, why do you always get so worked up on people not accepting you? Why did you decide to stay or get depressed every time you see your father with your siblings?" Northstar asked and waited for a reply that never came. "You _love_ your father! You are so desperate for him to love and accept you as a son that you don't even realize he already does! Hell, even Jean accepts you. You should have seen how angry Logan and she have gotten after they got to know that they came back without you! Jean actually went all Phoenix on Rogers and Bucky. And you also don't know how many of us volunteered to come looking for you and I can assure you that it's not because they are afraid you could turn against us again. They were worried!" he told him and noticed that his opposite was avoiding his eyes. He sighed and reached out to pull Daken into a firm hug. "And I was worried…," he added in a whisper. "Come back home," he pleaded and cupped the feral's face.

"It's not my home…," Daken replied and was still avoiding the man's eyes.

"I know. I don't like being stuck on that island, too, but we can't change it for now," the speedster replied. "I'd say let's pack up and go somewhere else, but that is not an option at the moment," he said after a moment of silence. "I promise as soon as this is over we go anywhere you want to go!"

"I miss Europe…," Daken mumbled into his chest and began to realize how much he had missed this, so he hugged him back and tried to get as close as possible.

"Then we'll go there," Jean-Paul said calmly and held him close. "I promise…" When the feral looked up and at him for the first time, he smiled weakly and gave him a loving kiss. "Come back home. Or…makeshift home, whatever you want to call it," he requested once more.

"Prison…," Daken grunted and leant back against him.

"Or prison…"

"You won't stop whining before I do, do you?" he asked after a while and received a shake of the man's head.

"Logan loves you. He wants for you so much to be part of his family but he believes you don't accept him. All the two of you need to do is to sit down and actually _talk_!" Jean-Paul replied, wrapped an arm around the man and began to pull him over to the bed where they sat down. "We would definitely haven't come looking for you, if we weren't afraid that our enemies get their hands on you again. But not because we are afraid of you turning against us. Jean, your father and I have seen what Romulus has done to you…," he said and received a surprised look first, then something that could count as shock before it turned into anger.

"What have you been doing in my head?" Daken demanded to know and got up.

Northstar raised his hands to make him calm down a bit. "You were freaking out. The Professor thought we should see in the end in case you were different after waking up. So that we would understand why you might behave differently… To help you cope with the truth. That's all." He watched how Daken shot another glare at him, before he turned wordlessly around and went over to the window to look out of it. Giving him a moment, the speedster went over and stopped behind him, considering what to do. In the end, he hugged him from behind and pulled him close. "No one should have experienced what you did…," he whispered and rested his chin on the feral's shoulder. "If I were you, I'd refuse to talk about it, too… But I want you know that I'm always there for you, okay? No matter how much time you need…"

"What exactly do you want to hear?" Daken asked in a monotone voice and was still glaring out of the window. "What it feels like to be suffocating when someone three times your size is on top of you, or what it feels like if someone tears your inner muscles and tissue apart and doesn't give a shit that he's hurting you so badly that you wish you would just die?" His eyes narrowed further when the embrace tightened. "It wasn't the last time he did it, so I don't care. No reason to cry over past things…," he added and went back over to his bags, going through his mental list. He had his clothes, his money, his credit cards and passports… He was sure he hadn't forgotten about anything important. They wouldn't be able to trace him, they had no evidence of him being here either. It was just a shame that he wouldn't be able to use this suite anymore. "Pity…," he mumbled and took his two bags after putting the screen in one of them, too. "You coming?" he asked and gave Northstar an expectant look. "We don't have all night. MRD usually does sweeps at night."

"Is this really your money?" Jean-Paul asked and followed him, taking one bag from him.

"Yes, dear, it is. Now you know why I'm not really satisfied with the standards on Bucket's island," Daken sighed and headed into the elevator, which was thankfully empty.

"Trousers?"

"Italy of course."

"Shoes?"

"Italian."

"Shirt and vest?"

"French. And before you ask, yes, handmade by well-known designers," Daken mocked and crossed his arms. "It can be very helpful to look like a model and have Karl or Domenico and Stefano inviting you over for breakfast or dinner, you know?"

Rolling his eyes playfully, Northstar shook his head but he had to admit it, it fit the feral perfectly. He didn't only look like a top model, he also had the walk and attitude of one. "What's that Chanel perfume called?" he asked when the doors opened on the first floor.

Daken only smirked at him. "Platinum Egoiste, of course, darling," he said sweetly and headed for the reception. "Tanja, dear, I have to check out. Did you call that driver I asked you for?"

"Of course I did," the blonde smiled back and Northstar guessed that he was either making her dizzy with pheromones or that she was just naturally taken with the feral that she nearly came in her pants at the sight of him.

"Good. Be so nice and tell him to drop those off at the docks and hand them to the man waiting there, okay?" Daken asked and she nodded willingly. "Thank you." He beckoned Northstar to follow him and headed for another door to their far right. "We better take the back door. MRD should be here soon," he said and walked them towards the back. "Where exactly are they?"

"At the docks. The jet is in invisible mode," Northstar said and tapped his earplug. "Logan? There's a car coming to the docks, take the bags the guy drops there, okay? We're heading your way now but have to evade the MRD." He paused and listened to the reply. "Yes, he's fine. Yeah, we will be careful. See you in a bit." Nodding at Daken, he followed his lead.

"We have to cross Broadway," Daken told him and stopped at the corner. "Then head down West 61st Street to Columbus Avenue… That's quiet a bit…" He thought about the best way in order to get to the harbor. "The best way's to go straight through Fordham University Lincoln campus… Only problem is…"

"…lots of MRD and some Sentinels…," Jean-Paul finished and received a nod. "I can carry you and run over the campus. That shouldn't be a problem. But running all the way with your extra weight is."

"I'm not fat, darling," Daken mocked and gave him a sign to get moving.

"I didn't say that," the speedster mocked back. "Another problem will be the parking lot at the highway and New York 9A itself… The harbor is right behind it and that whole area is crowded with authorities…"

While he let his senses work on the surroundings and looked out for enemies and Sentinels, Daken kept a pace that didn't make them look suspicious. "It's at least a 10 to 15 minutes walk. Keep your eyes open. When a Sentinel spots us or MRD notices us, don't think, run!"

"I'm not leaving without you, forget it," Jean-Paul disagreed and followed him casually, still his eyes kept on checking on the area. "If we are spotted, I'll grab you and run."

Daken shrugged and stopped at a traffic light. "As long as that driver drops my things and doesn't steal them, I don't care…," he grunted and put his hands in his pockets, freezing due to the cold wind.

"I don't think he's interested in your H&M stuff…"

Daken shot him a glare and kept it while they crossed the street. "It's NOT H&M!"

"No?" Jean-Paul teased but kept a straight face.

"No!" Daken snapped and shook his head.

"But?"

"Ever heard about Gucci, D&G, Armani, Vuitton or Valentino?" the feral asked and huffed when he received a blank look only. "Unbelievable…"

"A shirt is a shirt," the speedster said and received another shake of the feral's head. "I'm not into fashion. Seriously, you are fulfilling every stereotype's dream! Metrosexual, interested in fashion, you can style hair better than any professional, you have more clothes than Paris Hilton…"

"At least I'm looking pretty doing it, sweetness," Daken said dryly and pulled his dark blue scarf further around his throat. He hated the cold. "If my things are gone, I'm going to hunt that driver down…," he grumbled into it.

* * *

"What's takin'em so fuckin' long?" Logan cursed inside of the jet in the meantime and went on pacing back and force like a caged tiger.

"Logan, I hate to have to tell you this again, but only 5 minutes passed since JP called us," Scott sighed. "Would you stop asking every ten seconds? You are getting on my nerves, seriously!" He turned back towards the monitor and his brows furrowed. "There's a car approaching…"

"Probably that driver. I'll go and have a look!" Johnny Storm announced and left the jet. He went up the dock and waved at the driver, who slowed down the car and came to a halt. "Hi there," he greeted, received a nod only and watched how the driver opened the trunk and dropped two bags, then went back into the car and drove away. "Wow, aren't we…nice?" Johnny mumbled and grabbed both bags quickly, before he went back to the hidden jet.

"Check them for bugs!" Scott said without turning away from the screen and considered blasting Logan by now. "Logan, sit down!"

"No bugs!" Johnny called after he had checked on both bags with one of Tony's devices. Being curious, he opened a bag and looked into it, his eyes growing wide. "Woah!"

"What?" Scott asked and turned around.

"He got shirts from Vuitton and Armani!" Johnny told him and held them up.

Scott could only roll his eyes behind his glasses and turned back around, shaking his head. "Leave Daken's things alone!"

Behind him, Ororo checked the time once more. "They should be here soon…," she said and went to the hatch to look outside of it. "I'm guessing they take the straight way…"

"That would be West 61st street," Parker told them. "But they have to cross Lincoln campus, which is crowded by MRD and Sentinels."

"Dammit…," Logan cursed and leant over his seat. His eyes were also fixed on the screens by now and he waited for two dots to appear and to approach the jet. The more time passed, the restless he became. He didn't have a good feeling, not at all… When another ten minutes went by, then fifteen and in the end thirty, he simply had enough and grabbed for the intercom. "Where the hell are ya?" he nearly barked into it and waited.

Unbeknownst of the group, Northstar was lying behind a bush, gritting his teeth and holding his bleeding leg in which a bullet was lodged. Next to him Daken was crouched, claws extracted and keeping an eye on the MRD that had encircled them and were slowly approaching, heavily armed and ready to shoot them. "You…just need to cross the high…way…," the speedster breathed and tightened the grip on his bleeding leg. "Just go!"

"No!" Daken said determined and narrowed his eyes on his approaching enemies. If they wanted a fight, they could have it, but he'd be damned to let them catch them.

"Hiro, don't be stupid! We're already on the campus…"

"Shut up!" he seethed and clenched his fists as the first two soldiers approached. He ducked deeper behind the bush, waiting, watching his prey leaning in to have a look at what's behind it and he stroked. Noiselessly, his claws went straight through their throats and they fell dead to the ground.

"Open fire!" one of the soldiers barked and Northstar ducked further behind the bush as Daken covered him to shield him with his body.

From afar the feral could hear something big approaching and he looked aside. It was then that he saw two grenades on the dead soldier's belt. Not thinking twice about it, he grabbed them and threw them at their enemies.

"Grenade!" one of them barked and moved to jump aside, but they already went off.

Their ears were roaring due to the impact of the explosion, but the feral didn't wait and pulled Northstar roughly up to move further towards the highway behind which their destination was. The speedster gritted his teeth as the pain shot up his spine and blinded him but moved as fast as he could. They could already see the cars as light was blinding them and forced them to come to a halt.

"Mutant DNA detected!" a Sentinel said and raised his hand into their direction.

"I can't move…," Daken cursed and had barely said it as something struck him into the head first and then into the back. Dazed, he dropped to his knees, felt how dozens of hands were restraining him, handcuffing him next and could barely look aside to see why Northstar was crying out.

"We detained two mutants," one of the MRD soldiers reported to their HQ and looked up when the Sentinel aimed for the air again. "Compare the data to system," he said next and grabbed the feral's hair roughly to force him to look up, his colleague doing the same to Northstar. Looking at his screen, he waited and then gave his fellow soldiers a nod. "Unregistered mutants. Order is to bring this one in," he said and nodded at Daken, who was instantly pulled up by three men and who gave Northstar, who was still lying flat on his back, a confused look. "Shoot it!" the soldier ordered next with a nod at the speedster.

"What? NO!" this one said as he was already pulled roughly up and turned around, his face pressed into the snow, not seeing how Daken fought against the three men that pulled him over the black transporter. In the end, they smacked him over the head hard with another rifle and dragged the unconscious feral with them instead. Heavily breathing in fear, Northstar felt how a gun was pressed into the back of his head and began to shake in fear, his heart thundering in his chest. He heard the _click_ of the gun being loaded and closed his eyes firmly, waiting for the inevitable.

"Mutant scum…," the soldier above him muttered full of hatred and pressed the gun firmer against the head, ready to shoot.

"Wait!" the commanding soldier suddenly said and raised a hand, his other one pressing two fingers against his ear and he listened to the instructions of the HQ. "Understood," he said and nodded at no one particular. "This one, too," he ordered with his finger pointing at Northstar, who was handcuffed and pulled roughly up next. He had barely looked at the transporter and taken notice of Daken lying in it, as something struck his head and everything went black…

Only three minutes later Logan and his group arrived, the feral giving them a sign to stop. He sniffed and began to walk a bit, eyes constantly scanning the area. As he noticed something on the ground, he bent down and sniffed at the blood, eyes narrowing.

"What is it?" Ororo asked and came closer, watching how Logan got up.

"Paul's blood. They've both been here," Logan grunted and analyzed the footprints in the snow, then gave the few dead MRD soldiers ahead a look. He then pointed at the huge spot in the snow. "Paul's been lyin' here," he said and then went a bit further to the right. "Akihiro here," he went on and knelt down again. "At least 10 MRD goons additionally t'those." He nodded at the bodies.

"Damn it…," Scott cursed and ran a hand through his hair. "How long ago?"

Logan shrugged. "Two maybe three minutes…," he growled and clenched his fists. "Scents still fresh…"

"So you can track them?" Johnny asked and crossed his arms, his eyes constantly checking their backs.

Logan shook his head. "No… Whatever they used, I can't pick up on their scents any further than up there." He pointed at where the transporter had been standing. Getting up again, he took the first thing he could find and threw it against a nearby tree. "FUCK!" he barked and ran both hands through his hair, then over his face while he knelt back down. He couldn't believe that he had lost his son again. That he hadn't noticed anything. He couldn't tell where they were, nor if they were still alive, where MRD was taking them… But he knew that wherever the destination was, hell would surely await them…

"We'll find them!" Ororo suddenly said right next to him and he realized that he hadn't felt her embracing him until just now.

"We need to go before they come back, Logan," Scott said now and came carefully closer, unsure of how the feral would react. "We fly back and try to find out where they brought them. Maybe Jean and the Professor can track them down somehow."

"And what if they can't?" Johnny asked what every one of them was thinking.

"I don't want to think about it…," Scott mumbled and put a hand to Logan's shoulder when this one stood next to him again. "We'll find them! I promise!" he swore and they headed back to the jet.

**The next chapter will be quiet dark and definitely rated M for violence and there will be another cliffhanger. I'm actually surprised how violent the first 7 pages turned out. Thanks to those that took their time and left a review! Take care! NEXT UPDATE AROUND NOV 25-27!  
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	9. Chapter 8

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**!Don't forget to leave a review! I take my time to write this story for you, so take yours to give your opinion after reading it!**

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**! This chapter is rated M for violence, so be aware!**

**I used some dialogues that I mentioned in the Sequel 3 teaser.**

**The song being mentioned here as "Flower" does exist. It's "Flower" by my favorite singer GACKT. You can easily find it on Youtube and a translation by typing in "Gackt Flower lyrics translation" via Google.**

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**HAPPY BIRTHDAY LACEY! As promised, the chapter is done in time for your birthday! ; )**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 8**

When he awoke the first thing he realized was that he couldn't see. He couldn't hear either. It was like being stuck in a huge vacuum. His hands were cuffed behind his back and his ankles restrained, too. He was lying on a cold, wet ground that was uneven and he was freezing. With a quick _thumpthumpthump_ his heart began to pump fear through his veins and his mind finally realized that he was completely naked. But what seemed even worse to him was that he knew he was being watched. Someone or more than just one person were in this very room with him, watching him, probably talking about him and he felt completely vulnerable and helpless. Instinctively, he drew his legs as close to his body as he could and remained in this fetal position. He had no idea where he was, where the MRD had displaced him to, what they were planning to do to him. His breathing became heavier and quicker as fear became stronger. What were those people up to? Why had they stripped him naked and what had they done to him while he had been unconscious?

Trying to bring any logic into this messed up situation, he began to remember what Logan had taught them about black ops groups, military groups, hitmans and everything he had seen or heard of in his life. He remembered that he had told them something about stripping their victims naked to make them feel vulnerable, exposed and unprotected. A person's mind reacted to such a thing, was on high alert since there was no protection or way to hide. Then he had told them something about the different forms of torture, wanted them to be prepared for whatever might happen to anyone of them in case MRD caught them. He remembered the term "white torture" and that it aimed to instill fear and psychological stress in the victims. So he guessed they had deprived him of his senses. He wanted to see them, hear what they were planning, wanted to know where he was…

His head jerked aside and his breath caught in his throat as he felt a presence behind him. His breathing came in short and way too rushed gasps that made him feel as if his lungs didn't fill with oxygen at all. His breathing and heartbeat echoed in his ears and he was lowering his head again, as something kicked him hard into the back. He cried out in pain and surprise, tried to move away from whoever was behind him, but was kicked against the head next. He breathed even harder against the fabric that was covering his head, tried to figure out where the next attack would come from, as he was suddenly grabbed and pulled up. It didn't take long for them to drop him onto something hard, a bench, a wooden board, he couldn't tell, but he was aware of his head being lower than the rest of his body. Hands pushed him further, held him down and he tried to fight, tried to arch his back or kick his legs, tried to get them off him, as his head was suddenly engulfed in water and he couldn't breathe. The hood was soaked, felt suddenly heavy, whatever they had stuffed into his mouth was quickly soaked next and he felt as if he was drowning. Fighting as fear took control of him, he was grabbed even harder, didn't care that his shoulders were dangerously close to being dislocated, as he tried to get away from the water and them. He wanted to breathe, needed to breathe. His heart was hammering so hard against his chest by now that he thought it would burst right through it. After what seemed to be an eternity, the water was suddenly gone and hands let go off him, but were quickly replaced by something else that set his whole body on fire. Muscles were stiff with spasms, his body completely out of control and he lost track of what else they were doing to him.

As he came by again, his vision still black, he was at least able to hear, but every muscle was on fire. His arms were still cuffed behind his back, but hurting from the unnatural angle they had restrained him in and he guessed he was hanging from the ceiling. He had to arch his back to not tear his joints out of their sockets. When he became aware of the footsteps to his right, his breath caught once more in his throat and he tensed his muscles to be prepared for any further beatings. The shaking became uncontrollable as he felt warm breath on his neck first and heard someone chuckling in a low voice next.

"Feeling comfy, aren't we?" a throaty voice asked and something touched his bare stomach and was run over it.

He screamed as he was suddenly hit into the balls hard with it and his vision turned white for a moment as he instinctively arched his back, which made his shoulders snap. The pain was unbearable…

"What?" the voice mocked and whatever he had been hit with was suddenly at his lower backside. "I thought a fag like you likes this?" the man asked innocently, lowering the rod further down and others laughed. "What do you think guys? Should we make him feel at home?" he said towards his comrades with a devilish grin on his lips before he turned back to his prisoner. His face suddenly became a mask of sheer hatred and he pulled on his victim's hair hard, ignoring the outcry as joints were further torn apart. "You won't get out of here alive, you worthless scum!" he sneered and nodded at two soldiers, who came over to him and took hold of their intimidated victim. He smirked at his opposites and yanked the rod upwards, earning a terrible scream from the prisoner. "You think that hurt, you damn piece of shit?" he asked the weeping man and tore on his hair again. "Just wait until we're done with you! You ready, boys?"

In another room, a pair of dark eyes was fixed at the closed door and even if he tried to keep his face expressionless the next screams were going right to his core. He knew whatever those soldiers did was bad and he couldn't remember a single moment in which he had elicited such screams from one of his victims. He didn't care about his own blood that was dripping down his body, nor about the cuts and burns or the salt that had been forced into his wounds. He also didn't care about being strangled until he passed out, or that he'd been tortured with electroshocks, been slapped, beaten, that his bones had been broken, then given time to heal just to be broken again… It was nothing he hadn't lived through before, but he had never heard _him _screaming like this…

As he noticed movement on his right he turned his head just to feel cold metal slicing through his throat. Chocking and in a brief moment of panic, he felt how his blood rushed out of the wound until it had healed again. A hiss escaped his still healing throat as the knife was rammed into his stomach and sliced him open all the way up. Still, he didn't care. Not about _this_… But he cared about the not ending screams and cries…

"That's no fun, Daken…," Wildchild sighed and liked the blood from the knife. "Could ya at least bother to utter a sound, hm?" He looked at his opposite that hung naked from the ceiling and glared back at him through emotionless eyes. "What do I have to do that ya say something? Ram that rod up yer ass?" He waited for a reaction but didn't get one. Still he smirked as Daken's eyes darted back to the door when more screams could be heard. He laughed and showed his canines. "I think they fuck yer lil' bitch up pretty bad, huh? Last time I checked on him they were electrocuting him. Maybe he pissed himself, what do ya think?" he asked and received another silent glare. "When did ya become so boring? Back then ya screamed at least when I did this," he complained and rammed the knife between the feral's legs, finally earning a scream. He smiled and twisted it a few times. "There… Was it so hard?"

"Go…fuck yourself!" Daken seethed through gritted teeth and heaved deep breaths to ease the pain. He wanted to cut the smirk out of Wildchild's face.

"Oh, I will…. Later!" his opposite mocked and sighed playfully while turning around. "Let's see what else we have here, shall we?" he asked as the door opened and Romulus entered. "Or maybe he has another idea."

"Yer done?" the tall feral asked and looked at Wildchild, who shrugged.

"Little Daken doesn't feel like communicating today, I think," he mocked, smirking at the younger feral and watched how Romulus walked over to him and looked at Daken hard for a while.

He grabbed the man's throat, pushed him hard enough so that Daken swung back hanging from his wrists and swung back towards him a second later. Clenching his fist, Romulus hit him hard enough to break some ribs before he pulled strong enough on the feral that his wrists broke next. "Ya think ya know what awaits ya?" he growled into the younger man's ear and pulled his head roughly back to spit into his face. "Ya have no fuckin' idea what's gonna await ya… I promise!"

Daken heaved some deep breaths and glared up at him. "What? You mean you can do worse than raping a ten year old boy for a couple of hours?" he mocked arrogantly and was sure he had seen a brief frown on Romulus' face.

"I see…," the feral nodded and grabbed Daken's jaw roughly. "Someone messed with yer head, huh? Did good ol' Charly set yer mind straight?" He chuckled. "'n now what? Ya ride into the sunset with daddy 'n yer bitch? Last time I checked on him he was bleedin' pretty bad. Wanna go see him?" he asked and yanked the chains from the ceiling before he dragged Daken, who had been too surprised to catch his fall, over the ground towards another cell. There, he pulled him up by the hair and made him look into the room. "Have a good look!" he snarled and held the feral steady.

This one watched how the soldiers pushed his friend against a wall and forced him down on his knees, still blindfolded and cuffed.

Breathing heavily, Northstar didn't dare to move. He doubted he still had a voice left, his body hurt like hell and even the beating his old teammates had given him years ago hadn't been nearly as bad as what he had experienced just now. He had lost all control, his body was hurting and quivering so badly that he was close to pass out.

"So, princess," the soldier said and winked at his comrades. "I think we have no use for you anymore… What do you say, guys? Cut a mutie's throat? How does that sound?"

Hearing it, the speedster froze as a hand pulled his head roughly back and hands kept him steady. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks and he shook even harder in fear. He didn't want to die… The worst for him was that he couldn't see. He couldn't tell what the soldiers were doing around him, how they intended to execute him, where the knife was, guessed they were smiling in sheer satisfaction while he was being reduced to a weeping mess.

"Let's see if you bleed out as quickly as your fag friend," the soldier suddenly whispered into his ear and Northstar's heart skipped a beat. "We did him real good before we sliced him open like a pig… I'd show you his head but I think it's already in the trash."

"Hiro…," the speedster mouthed and couldn't help but picture it in front of his inner eye. Had they really…?

"Hold princess steady, pals, we don't want to accidentally cut something else off, won't we?" another soldier mocked and they were laughing, laughing while he was stuck in his personal hell and so afraid like he had never been before in his life.

He cried out throatily as his head was pushed further back and his heart began to race even faster as he felt the knife slicing over his throat, he sank to the ground as his body instinctively began to fight for survival, tried to breathe in but couldn't, felt his blood running down his throat and body as his heart pushed the liquid quicker through the veins in a vain attempt to keep him alive. His ears began to roar as he realized he couldn't breathe, that he was dying. He was just wondering if his sister had felt the same when she had died, as he felt the end of a gun being suddenly pressed against his head.

"Die you piece of shit!" he heard one of them saying, heard the gun being fired, felt the bullet going through his brain, felt his senses being on fire as his mind began to fade but also that he was still alive and slowly dying. He knew they wouldn't use a second bullet to put him out of his misery and gave up fighting against the death throes of his body…

"You sick fuck!" Daken said to Romulus, who flashed his sharp canines at him, after watching the mock-execution.

"Aww, worried about him, ain't ya? Just wait until I'm through with ya!" the feral grinned sadistically and dragged him back to the other room.

* * *

When the phone rang Jean, who sat in the living room, a blanket draped over her, reached out to take it. "Yes?" she asked and looked up when James, Narya and Hank, who were waiting with her, gave her expectant looks. "Hey," Jean said and listened intently to what Logan was saying, her face falling. "Oh my God… And now? Okay… Yes, I agree. He's here with me anyway since he didn't sleep well," she told him and looked down on Kazuki, who was sleeping on her stomach. "Be careful, okay? Love you, too." She switched off the phone and put it back on the table, deeply in thoughts.

"What happened?" Hank asked since he could easily tell that something was wrong from the way the redhead looked back at him.

"MRD caught them…," Jean told them and Narya gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth. "The team is coming back now since Logan can't track them down."

"So they have no idea where MRD took them?" James asked and Jean shook her head. "Shit…"

"Shit what?" John asked when he entered and handed Narya a glass of water before he sat back down next to her.

"MRD caught Jean-Paul and Akihiro. Logan and the others don't know where they took them…," the blonde told him and tears began to show in her eyes.

"And now?" he asked after pulling her close.

"They are coming back. There's nothing they can do at the moment," Hank told him and received a nod. He crossed his arms, his face grim. "I knew it would go wrong…," he cursed and sighed, running a hand through his blue fur. "I hate to say it but we'll be more than just lucky to find them…" He had barely said it as Narya began to sob and clung to John for support. Reaching out, Hank put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "How long until they get back?"

"They should be back in 5 to 8 minutes…," Jean said and stroked soothing circles over Kazuki's back as the boy began to stir in his sleep. She watched him for a moment and couldn't help but think what might await them if…

"Why the long faces?" Tony asked and slumped down on the couch next to them, looking at each one of them. He listened to Hank's explanation and nodded. "Damn… What's the plan?" he asked but got distracted when Pepper entered. "Can't sleep either?"

"Not really…" She took a good look around, noticing the depressed mood and also that Narya was still sobbing quietly. "Did something happen to them?" she instantly asked and Jean explained the situation to her. "Oh God…," she made and, without noticing it, sat down on the armrest of the couch Tony was sitting on. "And now?"

Tony cleared his throat after checking her out. "Now…we should tell Cap to start running because he will have hell to pay as soon as Logan gets his hands on him!" he said and she met his eyes, still not really noticing how close they were sitting. He watched how James got up.

"Is it safe to tell Heather?" he asked and looked to and fro between Hank and Jean. "I mean… I don't want her to go into labor or anything…"

"I'll come with you," Hank told him and they left together.

"Come on," John whispered and pulled Narya carefully up to lead her back to their room.

"Isn't there a way for us to find them? I mean…there must be some…maps or….whatever of prisons or anything?" Pepper suggested when Jean got up next, shifting Kazuki on her arm.

"I doubt they will have _that_ prison on any map. They know we will be looking for them," Jean replied and nodded at them before she left.

"Oh my God…," Pepper mumbled again and slumped down next to Tony. "Who knows if they are still alive or…"

"Pepper," Tony tried to cut her off but she went on with her rant.

"…maybe they are torturing them or…"

"Pepper!"

"…maybe they are experimenting on them or…"

"POTTS!" Tony said loud enough for her to stop and cupped her face. "Hush, okay? Freaking out won't solve anything now and it certainly won't help us, all right?" he asked and she nodded quickly. "Good," he nodded back and unconsciously stroked over her cheek. When he noticed it, he quickly withdrew his hand and brought some distance between them. As far as this was possible on the small couch. But he didn't reckon with her sniffing all of a sudden. "Jesus… What is it now?" he asked and actually wanted to ask if that was some form of PMS she was displaying.

"Promise me you'll be careful!" she demanded of him and he gave her a confused look.

"Where does this suddenly come from?" he asked back but she put a hand to his shoulder.

"Promise me!"

"But I'm here! I'm not going anywhere!"

"PROMISE me!" she demanded once more.

"Yes, fine, I'll promise even if I don't intend to go anywhere and no one is going to run our door in and capture me!" Tony quickly said. "Pepper, just calm down, all right? I'm sure the Snicktling gives them hell. No one catches Wolverine's son without paying for this!" he tried to soothe her somehow and was surprised when she rested her head on his shoulder, still sniffing.

* * *

Laying on the ground, panting heavily and blood dripping down to the floor where it gathered into a pool, Daken coughed and turned his head to spit blood. He wasn't braced for the next hard kicked that left him breathless and gasping for air.

"Ya disappoint me, really," Romulus said and pulled him up by the hair. He glared at him before his fist connected with the jaw, the bone making an ugly noise. He watched the feral falling to the ground and contemplated what to do next. In the end, he went into a crouch next to him and pulled his head roughly back. "Tell me where they're hidin'n this will stop!" he cooed and loosened his grip on the hair a bit. "I'll even take ya back, Daken. I'll forget everythin'. Just tell me where Logan's hidin'," he demanded and forced himself to sound as soft as possible. His eyes met Daken's when the man raised his head slowly and looked back at him; face bloody and eyes swollen. "Be a good boy, Daken. Where are they, hm?"

"You…want to…know?" Daken panted and received a nod. He beckoned him to come closer, which Romulus did, just to spat into his face. "Go…to hell, you son of a bitch!" he snarled and gritted his teeth at the larger feral, who was slowly wiping the blood and salvia from his face.

Nodding in understanding, Romulus grabbed him and threw him against the wall, punching him and slamming the feral's head into the stone. When Daken was motionless, he pulled him roughly up, drawing him close. "Ya won't get outta here alive, ya know that, right?" he snarled in a very low voice that made it obvious he was on the edge of his patience. "I'll make ya suffer until ya beg me t'kill ya. That's a promise!"

"You…wish!" Daken whispered and fought against the blackness that wanted to claim him.

Romulus chuckled at this reaction and pressed the feral against the wall, the faces nearly touching. "Still proud as hell, ain't we?" he asked and showed his canines. "What changed, hm? Is daddy givin' ya attention? Does he love ya?" he mocked and chuckled when Daken glared at him. "They don't accept ya! No one will ever accept someone as fucked up as ya, Daken. Not daddy, not daddy's friends or yer lil' bitch. For them yer a psycho 'n sociopath. Yer ain't worth their time. Yer trash, Daken!" He began to frown when Daken chuckled and noticed that the feral was grinning at him.

"Confusing me with yourself, aren't we? My father will come and find me!" Daken spat and groaned when his head was slammed into the wall once more. His vision got dark for a moment, his ears roaring. When Romulus's body suddenly pressed him into the wall his heart began to race in his chest, even more so as the man's breath stroked ghostly over his skin.

"Ya will beg…," Romulus promised him in a low snarl.

* * *

While the others were inside and had dinner and Tony had fallen asleep with Pepper on the couch, he was sitting on the outside and staring at the ocean. He heard them whispering and talking about the recent events, no one daring to ask Cap why he was cooling his right cheek with a cool pack. He could have done worse, Cap knew that much about him. He was actually lucky that Jean had softened his punch in the last moment and Cap's cheek was only swollen a bit. If he had hit him with the force he had intended to use, Cap's bones would have been broken for sure.

Sighing, he looked up and into the sky where stars were visible. He didn't care about the cold, hardly felt it. To him it actually felt good and reminded him of Canada and the mountains. He felt lost. He neither knew where his son was, nor if he was still alive or if he was, what he was suffering through. He had no idea where to start looking for him. The only thing he knew for sure was that he had failed again, he had failed to keep the promise he had made during his last visit to Jasmine Falls. It suited him. He was still waiting for the day when he finally managed to do something right…

"Logan, it's freezing. Come back inside, please," Jean suddenly said behind him and he realized that he hadn't even heard her coming. She was wearing one of his hoodies and had her arms hugging herself. It almost made him smile since she looked so tiny in it. She came over to him and was obviously waiting for a reply, but he decided to look back at the ocean. She sighed and came to a halt next to him. "You're blaming yourself again, aren't you?" Jean asked knowingly and didn't get a reaction from him. "Logan, you couldn't have done anything to prevent this. It just happened. If you and the team had intervened, they might have caught you, too. We will find them!"

"'n what if not? What if they are already dead?" he grunted and she actually wanted to punch him for his pessimism. Before she could say anything, he went on. "I promised her I'd make it right this time. I promised her that I'd protect him from now on…"

"And you will after we found them!" Jean assured him and he turned his head, looking at her warily. "Charles and I are working on it. We will find them and will rescue them, all right? And now come back inside. The children don't understand the situation and think we actually had a fight."

"No, we didn't…," he mumbled and got up, pulling her close and just hugged her for a while. "I can't lose him again, Jean… I just can't," she heard him grunting into her neck and pulled him closer.

"And you won't!" she promised and led him back inside after a kiss.

* * *

He hung once more from the ceiling; hands tied together, blood still drying on his body and between his legs, chin resting on his breast while his head was lowered. He gave the impression as if he was unconscious, had lost the will to fight back and was waiting for the inevitable end. The door to his cell was opened and a soldier entered. He hesitated but came closer in the end, hand reaching out to pull the prisoner's head back to have a look at the mutant. Before his eyes could even meet the man's, legs had wrapped themselves around his neck and it snapped back. While the dead body was still sinking to the ground, Daken grabbed the rope with both hands and lifted himself up until he was hanging upside down. In less than ten seconds he had freed himself and made quick work of the soldier's uniform.

Dressed as one of the MRD, face half covered by a helmet, he closed the door to the cell and gave another soldier a sign that everything was all right. He then turned around and headed down the corridor. He had memorized the way, his mind already thinking ahead. Up to now his plan was working, no one interfering but he was no fool. They would notice the lie soon. He stopped in front of another door and opened it, went inside after a quick look up and down the corridor and closed the door behind him. His dark eyes instantly fell on the man on the ground, who was still blindfolded, a rope tying his hands together and had curled up as soon as he had opened the door. Daken went quickly over and pulled him up, a move that earned him a frightened whimper. "It's me," he whispered and Jean-Paul raised his head in surprise but startled as Daken put a hand on his mouth to prevent him from talking. "We don't have much time. I need you to act, understood? Act as if I was an enemy soldier!" he demanded and received a silent nod. He then led him over to the door and grabbed him rather forcefully to keep up the charade. The single soldier was still present and watching him, his eyes resting on the two men attentively and Daken could tell that the frown meant he better came up with a good explanation. So he went over to the man and spread pheromones around his as good as he could while covering his own scent. "The boss said the boys need something to play with," he told him casually and smiled evilly, squeezing Northstar's wrists until he uttered a pained gasp. "They're getting bored." He forced some more pheromones on the soldier for emphasis.

"Princess still hasn't enough, huh?" the soldier chuckled and Daken wanted to cut the man's arm off when he petted the speedster's face roughly. "All right."

He dragged Northstar with him and stopped at another room. There he grabbed the first uniform he could find and cut through the rope that tied Jean-Paul's hands together. "Quick!" he demanded after pulling the blindfold off next and helped his friend dressing. "Can you walk on your own?"

"As long as I'm getting out of here I'd even crawl…," Northstar said hoarsely and tried to stand straight. His body was hurting badly and he felt weak as hell.

"Just do what I do and keep your mouth shut!" Daken said and led the way back out of the room. He blindly followed the emergency exit signs and acted as casual as possible. He knew they weren't out of danger as soon as they reached the outside. He had no idea where MRD had taken them or how to get back to Genosha. If he was honest to himself, he didn't care where they would end up as long as it was far away from here. The sky was still pitch black and the place reeked of death and fear. Not far from them a MRD truck came to a halt and soldiers dragged even more mutants out and towards single locations. He could spot one place where mutants were kept in an area that was restricted by a huge electric fence, some of them already dead or about to, others trying to keep together in hope not to freeze to death next. He could hear gunshots being fired at mutants that were being executed and the screams of those being tortured. It would only be a matter of minutes before they would notice that they were missing, so he led the way towards a gate where soldiers were passing through. "I smell a wood close by, we're heading that way," he told Northstar who nodded. "Can you run?"

"Not really. I can hardly walk straight…" He waited for Daken to charm the next two soldiers into believing everything he said and followed him out of the camp and down the street, as soon as they were out of eyesight, his hand was grabbed and Daken ran over the snow covered field towards the wood. Even if they were out of prison now his heart was still beating rapidly in fear…

* * *

"This area here," Tony said and pointed at the hologram in front of him, "is somehow blocked from the radar."

"Every part of the US is blocked from the radar," Scott said and crossed his arms.

"Yes, but Jarvis can hack into _every_ part except for _that_ part and six others," Tony corrected him and the spots were highlighted. "Throughout the US we have seven parts that are somehow none-existent when it comes to close-up satellite images. My guess is…"

"Mutant prisons…," Cap concluded and received a nod. He looked at the map and how Toy pointed at a spot on the east coast.

"They were captured in New York. The closest prison is here close to route 84. The whole area consists of mountains and woods, ideal for hiding," Tony explained and the hologram zoomed in.

Scott sighed. "And ideal for attacking…," he said ironically. "We can't land the jet there and that whole area is huge. It's impossible to start a blind search not knowing if they even are in that area." He looked up to give Logan a look who glared at the map as if it was his worst enemy. "What do you think?"

"Pointless…," Logan grunted and that was all he had to say. It's been four days by now and they were walking in circles. By now he was close to lose his patience…

Rhodey came closer and inspected the map, too. "That area is definitely too huge for us to do a swipe…," he agreed and sighed. "We don't know where they are exactly. The only thing we could do is use an infrared camera and fly over that area."

"But that would serve us on a silver platter," Cap said and Rhodey nodded. "Damn it…" He noticed the glare that Logan gave him and decided not to act upon it. He knew it was his fault so he avoided the feral's eyes. "I say we try it anyway… You and Rhodey could come with us in case we need backup."

Tony raised his eyebrows. "So you decided to fly over a huge area and I mean HUGE area that is covered with treed and lakes, use an infrared camera and try to find two people while MRD and Sentinels are probably stationed everywhere?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Cap challenged him.

"Yes, logical thinking is one of them," Tony replied and was about to continue as Logan suddenly pointed at something on the map.

"That road," he said and Jarvis displayed the name. "North Knapp, Connecticut."

"What about it, Logan?" Scott asked.

"It ends there as it seems. 'n there," he pointed at a rather large black spot, "is a lake. So they've got a road 'n water supply and that whole area in between is a large wood. That's were they are!"

Tony looked at the map and then at him. "How can you be so sure?"

"He's right," Cap added after he had given the area a long look and thought. "Strategically, it's a perfect spot. Just from satellite images alone it would be hard to tell there's a facility. Even harder if it was underground…" He leant forward and tried to come up with a plan. It was dangerous to fly over that area. Very much so. In case they really had a military base hidden in that wood it was very likely that there were Sentinels as well. They would not only endanger the jet and those inside but also Rhodey and Tony. He sighed. They had to plan this very carefully…

In the meantime, Jean was woken up by her senses telling her that someone was staring at her. With her teke she switched on the lamp on the bedside table and was not surprised to find someone sitting on Logan's side. "Hey," she said gently and smiled at the dark haired boy, who was still sniffing quietly. "You can't sleep, hm?" she guessed and sat up a bit, her hand reaching out to stroke over Kazuki's head. Her heart ached as she saw the tears in the boy's eyes and it reminded her too much of the time when she had believed that Logan was dead. Too often her children had ended up in front of her bed, crying because they missed their father. Pulling the boy up, she placed him on her lap and stroked through his hair. "You miss your papa and daddy, hm?" she asked knowingly and cuddled with him. When the boy was still sniffing after a few minutes, she decided to get up and go looking for Logan. In the end, he was able to speak Japanese with the boy and could probably calm him down again. "Come on, let's see where grandpa is," she said and got up. She left the room and closed the door quietly behind her to not wake her children up. On her way she decided to make a warm tea for the boy and was surprised to find Victor in the kitchen.

The feral stopped munching on the leftovers and eyed her like a tiger that had just seen another victim. Jean tried to smile at him but couldn't help and feel uncomfortable around the man. He gave her the creeps with his predator like looks, even if she knew that he was hardly a threat to her when it came to powers and that he was well aware of Logan being on his throat if Creed only so much as snapped at her. So while Jean prepared a tea and filled it into a sippy cup, Creed kept on munching his midnight snack and was still watching her intently.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in the end because she found his stares unnerving.

"No, should somethin' be wrong?" he grunted back and didn't even so much as blink.

She noticed his nostrils flaring and could tell that he was inhaling her scent. A move that made her heart skip a beat. "No…," she simply said and pulled Kazuki up again. She could tell where his eyes were the moment she had turned her back towards him and left the room again. As quickly as she could she made her way to the room where Logan and the rest of the group were still gathered around the map.

"Hey…," he grunted and gave her a kiss before he looked questioningly at her. "He can't sleep, huh?"

"No, he misses them…," she told him and he took Kazuki from her. "Any progress?" she asked Scott, who shook his head.

"We think they are being held in that area," he told her and showed her the location on the map. "But finding them, IF they are really there, in an area that huge…"

"We can use infrared but even then it will take time and we're endangered the whole time through," Rhodey added and Jean nodded.

Her eyes fell on Logan, who looked at his grandchild and wiped the boy's tears away while speaking in Japanese with him. As she had guessed, Kazuki began to calm down and leant tiredly against Logan after a moment. "Nemui?" Logan asked and received a nod.

"Nemo?" Tony asked.

"He asked if he feels sleepy, sir," Jarvis instantly translated.

"I figured that much." Tony replied and watched how Jean stroked through Kazuki's raven black hair, a soothing gesture that made the boy whine into Logan's neck.

"What's the matter with him?" Tony asked, completely clueless when it came to children and noticed Logan's _re-you-kidding-me_-look.

"He's tired 'n he misses his parents, what the hell do ya think is wrong with him?" Logan snapped but kept his voice low.

"Hey…," Jean tried to soothe him and was about to say something next as Kitty phased through the door, completely breathless and held a phone into Logan's direction.

"It's JP!" she told him urgently and he took the phone from her.

"Where are ya?" Logan immediately asked and listened to the explanation while he moved back over to the map. After putting the phone on speaker, he put it on the table and his eyes began to search the map.

"It's some kind of wood. I have no idea where they took us!" Northstar explained, sounding breathless.

"How come you have a phone?" Scott asked him and supported himself with both hands on the table.

"We stole uniforms and one had a phone on it. I can't talk long they are closing in and Hiro already tries to buy as much time as possible," the speedster said quickly and they could hear shouting and gunshots in the background. "There's a street close by and he can smell water. It's a huge camp and they keep on bringing mutants here." There was a pause and more gunshots echoed through the speaker. "They are coming. I'll hide the phone, try to track it. The camp is close by."

"Working on it!" Tony let him know and watched how Jarvis began tracking the phone call. They heard a noise as if someone was covering the phone with something and soon afterwards loud shouting and the line went dead.

"Do you have it?" Cap asked and Tony shook his head.

"Not the exact location but they are definitely in the area Logan suggested," he replied and the hologram zoomed in on an area in the area itself. "It's not the exact location but way closer than before."

"They must have found the phone. No way in hell they'll bring them back to the same prison," Rhodey said and Cap nodded. "The might have shot them. They know that we know where that prison is now. There's no reason for them to keep anyone alive…"

"How fast can we be there?" Logan demanded to know and looked at Tony, who shrugged.

"At top speed ten minutes, maybe eight."

"Let's go!" Logan said and handed Jean the sleeping boy. "They can't pack up in ten minutes!"

"No, but they can blow the whole place up in ten minutes!" Rhodey replied and followed him.

"Be careful!" Jean told Scott, who nodded and jogged after the group next.

While the redhead gave the map another look, Kitty heaved a deep breath. "Do you think…they killed them?" she asked worried and Jean switched her attention to the young woman.

"I hope not…," she said and pulled Kazuki closer.

"I mean…Akihiro might be valuable to them somehow…," Kitty went on and followed her back out of the room, "…but JP… They don't need him…"

"If Romulus is on that base I think he will keep both alive as long as he can," Jean thought out loud.

"To make them suffer…," Kitty concluded and Jean nodded. "I hope Logan and the others will make it on time…"

* * *

Back at the base Daken snarled at the soldier that had roughly thrown him to the ground and had wrapped some kind of collar around his ankle. His angry growl deepened when Romulus entered, looking thoroughly pissed back at him and even if his wrists were stuck in some metallic thing that made it impossible to move his hands, he moved instinctively closer to Northstar, who lay next to him and was the next target of the soldier. The speedster's wrists were cuffed and another collar ready, as Romulus spoke up.

"He won't need it!"

"But, sir,…he's a speedster! He can…," the soldier stuttered upon which Romulus came to a halt next to him and glared down at Northstar, who stared back at him with wide eyes and was expecting the worst.

"…can run away?" Romulus asked and the soldier nodded, still holding the speedster's leg up to put that collar around the ankle. In less than the blink of an eye the feral stomped hard on Northstar's knee, the snapping of bones almost as loud as the scream the speedster uttered. "No, he can't!" Romulus simply said and ignored the agonizing cries of the man, his eyes back on the feral. "Daddy won't find ya!" he told him and left the room. "Prepare for transport 'n shut him up!" he demanded, upon which a soldier slammed the back of his rifle against Northstar's head and knocked him out. When Daken's growl was now directed at him, he took a good swing at him next…

* * *

"Damn it!" Cyclops cursed as they landed the jet and were greeted by huge and angry flames. He looked aside as Iron Man and War Machine landed next to him. "You were right," he told Rhodey. "They don't need them anymore…" Behind him Logan had begun to track down scents and traces in the snow that might give them any further clues on where to go from here.

"Anything?" Cap asked Tony, who let Jarvis run an analysis, but received a shake of the man's head.

"Corpses… Lot's of them…," Rhodey confirmed and sighed. He began to scan the area with infrared and stopped at a spot on their far right. "Wait!" he said and zoomed in. "There, do you see that?"

"I sure do," Tony nodded and had already set off to fly over to the two red dots they had spotted. He burst through the flames and pushed burning wood away to fight his way through the mess in front of him. "Hold on!" he barked and made his way over to a crying boy, who was trapped under a collapsed wall. He had barely pulled the boy out of it and was back in the air as the remains of the building collapsed entirely.

"Heave deep breaths, kid!" Cap told the boy, who lay in the snow, coughing heavily, after Tony had gently dropped him.

"The woman was dead," Tony informed them and opened his helmet. "They must have evacuated by air. There are no fresh car or truck tracks." He turned around when Logan came closer, opening his jacket, which he put around the boy's shoulders, and completely uncaring about being in a wife beater in the cold.

"They caught'em over there," he told the group and pulled the child up. "There are at least 20 bodies of MRDs."

"Daken's doing?" Scott asked and received a nod. "Damn it…" He ran a hand through his hair and moved closer to have a look at the boy, who was staring at them rather intimidated. He was no doctor but he could tell that they hadn't given him food or water. To him the child was in rather bad shape, freezing due to the cold, looked feverish and sick. "We need to get him back to the island. He needs medical attention," he told the group, who agreed and they moved back to the jet, Iron Man and War Machine flanking them as soon as they were back in the air. On the jet, Logan put the boy into a free seat and Scott brought a blanket to wrap him into it. "You don't have to be afraid, okay? We'll bring you into safety. What's your name?" he asked was barely able to understand "Julian Keller" before the boy became unconscious. "Logan, tell Hank to have the ICU ready," Scott said without turning around and checked on Julian's vital functions. He became angry, incredible angry when he looked at the boy and recalled the past weeks. In the end, Magneto had been right. There was a war coming, but not between humans and mutants…

* * *

His body shook due to the coldness, pain and fear. The pressure in his chest was crushing him. His broken leg hurt like hell, every tiny movement sent a shock up his spine and right into his brain. While he lay on the ground, hands cuffed behind his back and his mind imagining every possible worst case scenario, the man next to him stared at the door. Due to the mutation-suppressors Daken wasn't able to hear or smell any better than a normal human being. It annoyed him. He needed to know what their enemies were planning.

His eyes switched to Northstar, who was still shaking like a leaf. "They'll come…," he tried to soothe him.

"And what if not…?" Jean-Paul asked, voice shaking.

"Don't think so negative!" Akihiro grumbled and once more tried to free his hands. The cuffs rattled, cut against his skin but stayed in place. He had to give them that. They knew what kind of material to use…

Their heads shot up when someone could be heard on the outside and it didn't take long for the door to be opened by none other than Romulus himself. The feral grinned darkly and sadistically at them, already finding pleasure by just being there.

"Still cozy?" he asked, voice low and smirked when both men instinctively moved closer towards each other, Daken beginning to growl warningly at him. "Oh…," he cooed sarcastically, flashing his canines. "How cute!"

"What do you want?" Daken growled and glared at his former father figure with more than just hatred in his eyes. He wished he could rip that grin from the man's face.

"Oh, nothin' much," Romulus waved off and put a stool closer to place something on it. It was a small clock. "I just thought it'd be nice t'let ya know when yer gonna be executed." His smirk turned into a full fleshed grin as Daken began to frown and Jean-Paul's eyes widened in shock and fear. "Which will be…," he went on and gave the clock a brief look, "…in less than 60 minutes. Publicly, of course. In the end the Utopians have t'learn what happens t'sinners. We're still decidin' on the how though. But I'll promise it'll be slow and painful. Sinister votes fer slow hangin'…" He chuckled in sadistic amusement and licked his canines. "It'll be fun t'watch. I heard slowly suffocatin's very agonizin'." Romulus went slowly back towards the door and opened it. "Last chance fer ya t'get all cozy with each other, ladies." His laughter could still be heard after the door had already been closed again and his footsteps faded on the dark corridor.

"Bastard!" Akihiro cursed, the cuffs once more rattling behind his back, but no matter how hard he fought they stayed in place. He looked at the clock and his heart began to pound. Fifty minutes… It was enough time, he told himself. It had to be enough… His father wouldn't give up so easily.

"They won't make it…," Northstar mumbled next to him and one look at the man was enough to tell the feral that he was clearly scared to death.

"They will!" Daken tried to assure him. "My father won't let this happen and if he has to come here all by himself…"

"Logan doesn't even know where we are! Neither do we!" Jean-Paul disagreed and swallowed hard. He couldn't grasp a clear thought and stared at the clock that displayed how much time they had still left living. "I don't wanna die…," he whispered and bit his lower lip when tears began to fall in despair, pain and fear. His heart was hammering in his chest, while he felt he was unable to breathe and his broken bones were killing him.

"We won't…," Daken grunted and looked away, unsure of how to handle this situation. Before he could say something else his friend spoke up again.

"Why are people doing this?" Northstar asked, crying openly and shook his head. "Do they seriously believe people wish for being the way they are? I neither chose to be a mutant nor gay… It just happened and I can't change it, can I?" he asked sadly, not caring whether Daken was listening or not, but the feral did with a thoughtful look on his face. "I mean… You are born that way. You just choose to act upon it or not. No one has the choice to pick who he wants to be, what skin color he'd like to have or who you fall in love with. You can't influence such things…"

"What are you trying to tell me?" Daken asked him and frowned when the speedster rolled around, noticed the puffy face and scared look in the man's eyes.

"That people are being murdered all around the world because of who or what they are, for something they didn't chose to be! That people are punished just because they chose not to hide and be who they are," he replied and sniffed. "I don't look like a mutant. I can pass for a normal human being easily. But do you think I chose to be gay?" he asked him in the end and Daken's frown deepened. "Do you think I like being stared at in public, to be called names or face prejudice or bashing constantly? That I can't show affection like other couples in public? Still I can't help it… I could never be with someone I don't love just to pass as…._normal_. I am normal. Or is it suddenly not normal anymore to fall in love with a _person_? Because that's what humans do… We fall in love with a person's nature, not with their age or gender…" He sniffed and heaved a deep breath. "I just wanna be with the person I love and be happy, what's wrong with that?" he asked desperate and closed his eyes, tears falling. His heavy breathing turned into a sob when he felt a nose nuzzling him and a body pressing closer. "I'm so scared, Hiro…"

Daken nodded upon the barely audible whisper and stayed close. "I know…," he said and looked at the clock which showed they had hardly thirty minutes left. He was familiar with death, had experienced what it felt like before and knew what came afterwards. But this here had a bitter taste… "Don't show them you're scared. That's only what they want," he whispered and received a nod. "You're stronger than that…" He didn't see that Northstar was also looking at the clock, tears silently falling, while he kept his head in the crook of Daken's neck, feeling at least a bit of his usual confidence returning.

* * *

"Any news?" Remy asked but Scott shook his head as he entered the room they shared. "Remy dinks it's too late." He began sipping on the bottle of whiskey again that was already half empty as Scott noticed.

In the end, he went over and took it away. "You're drunk!" he said and threw the bottle out of the window, not caring where it landed.

"Drunk or not drunk, Remy doesn't care, mon ami," the Cajun replied and sunk deeper into the covers of his bed.

"Remy… I know what you're going through, okay?" Scott began but Remy instantly raised a hand to tell him to shut up. "We need you on this, Remy. That means I don't need you wasted!" He began to frown when the reply was a low chuckle.

"You don't realize dis, do you, mon ami?" the Cajun asked and sat up, looking at him with dark and empty eyes. "Dis whole fight? Dis fightin' and makin' plans? It is pointless. Dey will win, we will die. Dey will take everythin' from us, mon ami, and dere is nothin' we can do about dis!"

Before Scott was able to reply the door was opened and Bobby looked into the room. His eyes fell on Remy first, who by now was staring at his wedding band again with tears in his eyes and completely oblivious of their visitor, before he looked at Scott. "They announced another execution on TV. The Professor thinks it's _them_!" he told him and Scott walked over to the door, stopping there to look at the Cajun.

"Can you stay here? I don't know what he'll do when I leave him alone…," he whispered and Bobby nodded. "Thanks." He then headed towards the TV room where the whole group was gathered. "Bobby said it's an execution?"

"Yeah, your Professor and Jean are trying to break through their shields and try to find out their location," Hawkeye told him.

"Why are they so sure it's JP and Daken?" Scott asked and saw how the man pointed at the screen where the same text was running from the right to the left over and over again at the bottom.

_News Alert – two members of the X-Men group caught. Public execution granted by Master Apocalypse._

"Damn it!" he cursed and his eyes were searching the room for Logan, but he couldn't find him. "Where's Logan?" he asked into the round.

"He and some others are waiting for Jean to tell them where the execution takes place. They are getting the jet ready," Peter told him and Scott had already left the room as soon as he had heard the first part.

Breathless, he reached the hangar but the jet was already in the air. He waved his hands, hoping that someone would see him but the jet rose higher and higher and he was about to turn around as a _bamf_ could be heard it he was suddenly on the jet, too.

"Will they even make it?" Jubilee asked nervously and hugged herself. She had begun to shake as soon as she had read the announcement. They were all anxious to see what was going on, afraid that the rescue team would be too late. "I mean what…what if they are going to shoot them or…or behead them…?"

"Jubilee!" Ororo said and her voice made it clear that she wanted to hear no more. Even thinking about it made her sick. Her eyes darted to James, Heather and Narya, all three of them pale as ghosts. While Narya was comforted by John and stared at the announcement blankly, James gave his pregnant wife a worried look. She didn't even dare to imagine what Alpha Flight felt like at the moment. She felt sick to the stomach thinking about having to watch how two of her teammates were being executed, while they sat here and couldn't do anything, didn't know anything about their whereabouts or in what kind of shape they were… "Goddess…," she muttered and folded her hands in a silent prayer. She wondered where their two friends were now, if they knew about their fate and if, what they felt like. She looked up when the Professor and Jean entered, both looking pale as ghosts. "What's wrong?"

"We…," Charles began but Narya already began to sob into John's chest. "It's impossible to pick up on them. Whatever they use to block telepaths out surely is powerful…"

MJ and Elektra looked to and fro between them. "So…," the latter began, "…you can't find them and that's it?" she asked and he looked down, barely nodding.

"But there must be a way!" Kitty protested. "We can't just sit here and watch them die!"

"Then switch off the television," Hawkeye said dryly. "We don't know where they are, so there's no way to find them! As sad as it is but that's a fact." He watched how Heather shook her head and covered her face with both hands before she leaned into James. Hawkeye looked down and sighed. "I'm sorry…," he said but didn't mean his words but their inevitable loss. He looked up when the screen stopped showing the same announcement over and over again but instead switched to a place somewhere in the US. It was dark, the lights artificial and there was already a large crowd gathered. The announcer told them that before the main event would take place, there were some more traitors to be dealt with and they watched how someone dressed up in MRD gear read out loud what the prisoners had been found guilty of. Made up shit, as Hawkeye knew. Their execution would take place in five minutes onwards. "We need to stop this…"

"Yes, but how?" Parker asked without looking away from the screen as Jean suddenly stepped closer towards it. He frowned as she knelt down and took a closer look.

"Jean, what is it?" the Professor asked and wheeled closer.

"I know that place…," she told him and Narya, James and Heather looked up hopefully.

"Are you sure?" the blonde sniffed.

"Yes… I've seen it before…," Jean confirmed and tried to remember where she had seen it, while she tried to contact Logan mentally. "I need a phone, they are already out of range," she told the group and Elektra had barely touched it as Jean already summoned it over to her with her powers. She dialed the number of the jet without taking the eyes off the screen. It took only one ring and Logan picked up. "We couldn't find them but I know that location on television. It's definitely Washington D.C," she told him.

"Washington's big, darlin'…," he sighed on the other side and she could tell he had just slammed his fist against something metallic. He waited for her to say something else and began to frown after there was a long moment of silence. "Jeannie?" he asked and hoped the connection hadn't been interrupted as she spoke up again. Her answer making his heart race in both fear and fury.

"I'm so stupid…," Jean gasped. "It's Logan Circle Park in D.C.!"

"Are you sure?" she heard Scott asking in the background.

"Yes, I am. They took the trees down but I clearly saw the statue just now."

"Fuckin' son of a goddamn bitch!" Logan cursed addressing none other than Romulus with it. "Thanks, Jeannie!"

"Be careful…," she said and the line went dead. Unbeknownst of the team on the jet she was staring at the timer in the corner of the screen that counted from 15 minutes backwards by now.

* * *

"That song we listened to…," he began and the feral looked down a bit.

"Flower?"

The speedster nodded, unable to take his eyes from the hands of the clock that went steadily closer to zero. "Do you believe in it? Rebirth, I mean…"

"No…," Daken simply said and felt the man quivering next to him again.

"What if it's real?" Northstar went on, his voice monotone. "What if you're reborn…let's say a hundred years from now or so? And before, in your old life, you've been with your soulmate…"

"I don't believe in soulmates…," the feral replied. "I think people invented it to have an excuse for hope that there's someone better than what they got, or to bind themselves to one person… But souls and things like that…" He shook his head. "Humans just say we have one so that they can feel better, that there's something that makes them more than what they are."

"You're so negative…," Jean-Paul sighed and sniffed.

"Says the one crying like a girl here…," Akihiro snorted and received a look for it.

"I believe it's destiny who you meet in your life and that the people you meet influence you in their own way. It's meant to be, you can't change it. You can only make choices in your life that will change your path slightly. But who you'll meet on that way is destined…" He raised his head a bit and noticed Daken's deep frown. "If my twin sister hadn't died, I wouldn't have left Canada and we wouldn't have met. At least not before our headquarter was destroyed," he explained and leant into him to soothe his nerves somehow, even if it was in vain. "So whether we had met earlier or later wouldn't have changed the fact that we were supposed to meet… Only the circumstances would have been different…"

The feral's dark hazel eyes switched briefly to the wall. "So are you trying to say that I'm your destiny?" he mocked.

"Kinda…" Jean-Paul shrugged. "What I'm trying to say is that it's destined who you meet in your life. I believe that we're always with the same people, no matter what life we live…or what body we have. The soul remains the same." He moved closer to the feral as the hands moved further forward to fifteen minutes. A cold shiver went down his spine. Fifteen minutes… He needed more time…

"So what's your plan for your next life?" Daken asked. He, too, was staring at the clock and repeated the mantra in his head that his father would come for them. He just had to…

"I don't care as long as I'm with my friends…and you…," Northstar said, sniffing again and had long given up to control his shaking. They would die in thirteen minutes. There was no reason at all to lie to himself or to get his hopes up. Their enemies would execute them and while they suffered an agonizing slow death, they would point their fingers at them and laugh. And then they would dump their bodies somewhere like trash… He didn't want to die, not now at least, he loved life…. "I don't care as long as we have another shot. I just wanna be with you…," he added hoarsely and began to shake even harder, not caring that he was practically pouring his heart out and telling things he had actually wanted to keep to himself. Now it didn't matter anymore whether or not the feral got to know about his feelings. They'd be dead soon anyway. The fear was controlling him completely, his body no longer under his control. "Ten minutes…," he whispered and thought he could already feel the noose suffocating him. He couldn't describe in words what he was feeling right now. It was beyond fear or anything he had ever felt before. He didn't hear the rattling of cuffs or felt Daken's movements. It wasn't before cuffed hands wrapped him into a firm embrace that he woke up from his stupor and the last bit of control he still possessed vanished. "I want more time…," he breathed and hid his face on the feral's neck.

"I know…"

"I'm scared…"

"I know… Don't show it," Akihiro replied, forcing himself to stay calm and wishing he could use his pheromones to take his friend's fear and pain away. For the second time in his life he felt completely helpless, unable to do anything. But to him the now felt worse than years ago when he'd been pressed face down on a bed and had to endure hell, while Romulus had his way with him and no one had helped him. Back then he'd been broken and destroyed internally, had been unable to feel anything but anger and hate, but now, while he had to watch how the same situation practically happened to someone that mattered to him… At least he thought he mattered… In the end, he couldn't remember ever feeling like this towards another person. He didn't know what he could do in less than five minutes… He was well aware of the fact that his friend was beyond anything that could still be called fear, there was nothing of his usual pride or confidence, he was just someone that knew he would die soon and not prettily. Swallowing his own pride for a moment, he thought about a way to help him at least a bit. "Tell you what…," Daken said in the end and pressed their foreheads together, initiating their familiar Eskimo kiss that they've become accustomed to and rubbed his nose against the speedster's, "if there's another life,…I'm going to find you. Okay? We'll be together no matter what..."

Northstar nodded slowly, his usually lively light blue eyes filled with sadness, regret and lots of fear and pain. More tears began to fall as the hands moved once more, signaling that their time was up. "I love you…," he admitted huskily and his heart began to hammer even harder in his chest as a key was turned in the lock behind them and the door burst open. He quickly turned back around to say something else but was surprised with a kiss and weak smile instead; one that only he would notice.

"Don't be afraid!" Daken said as they were both pulled up roughly and bags were forced over their heads; turning their worlds black.

"Don't worry," they heard Sinister snicker somewhere to their right. "It's only for the way out. You'll be able to watch each other hanging. You can thank me later for it," he said and smirked. "But then again….you won't be able to do so in the end, right?" He watched in sheer satisfaction how both men were forced down the corridor and he followed suit. No one would prevent him from watching their first triumph in the fight for domination. Executing two X-Men publicly, Wolverine's son nonetheless… He smiled and blinked against the artificial lights on the outside. He gave the crowd a hard look, could easily distinguish the mutant haters from those that felt sympathy and it disgusted him. To him only the pure should survive and he relished in the fact that he could finally get rid off Daken; someone he considered impure due to his mixed heritage and had always hated with a passion.

He knew what kind of uproar a public execution would cause in the mutant world. It was what his master expected and waited for. They wanted to lure their enemies out and would go down every road possible to achieve that goal. To them there was enough scum still hiding from their ultimate fate and his master was convinced that by executing two X-Men, and a male couple nonetheless, would cause the necessary fear. In the end, their enemies would get careless and then they would strike…

"Weak…," Apocalypse snarled after Sinister had joined his side. He knew he was referring to Northstar, who was shaking even heavier in fear and tried to seek protection next to the feral when the haters in the crowd made it public what they thought about them. It was not before Daken said something to him that he nodded and regained his composure. "It's a shame we can't get rid off all of them at once…"

"Oh, we will, master," Sinister promised him. "Executing them is only the beginning. More will follow."

"Scum like this is a mistake of nature…," Apocalypse went on and didn't bother to look up when Romulus joined his side, but stayed in the shadows. He watched how the executioner prepared their victims and made sure the noose was attached to the side of the necks to ensure the neck wouldn't be broken. They had opted for slow and painful and this was exactly what he wanted to see. Apocalypse nodded into the man's direction after a moment. "Sinister…"

On command the man stepped forward and stopped in front of the lectern to face the crowd.

"'n he had so much potential…," Romulus grunted in regret while watching Daken from afar.

"Well you should have him better controlled," Apocalypse replied dryly before his attention was back on Sinister.

"Utopians!" the voice of the pale man roared through the crowd and his face was displayed on every possible screen; the hanging also broadcasted nationwide. "The execution you are about to witness happens for the following reasons. Both inferiors have been found guilty of being members of an Anti-Apocalypse group, both are mutants lower than level 3 and didn't voluntarily report in…"

"Ain't they level 3?" Romulus asked and crossed his arms.

"Not today…," Apocalypse replied, coldly.

"…and both are found guilty of engaging in sodomy. They have been questioned and found guilty by law," Sinister went on. "Both will be executed by hanging and set an example for those that refuse to obey the new master! Be assured that you will be next and face severe punishment." Continuing his act, he turned to face both mutants, one glaring at him in sheer hatred, the other holding his head lowered and shaking like a leaf in fear. "You were sentenced to death by hanging by short dropping. You will slowly suffocate and die the miserable death your kind deserves. May your damned souls rot in the fires of hell forever!" he ended his dramatic speech and turned back around to join his master again. He smiled in satisfaction when the haters in the crowd began to shout in approval and barked things like "Scum rod in hell!" or "Even hell doesn't want mutie fags!".

From his position on the balcony, he ignored the drums that were used to make everything even more dramatic and focused entirely in their victims.

While the executioner came back over to them, Akihiro began searching the roofs and crowd for any familiar faces. His own fell quickly as he realized that there was no one he knew and he looked aside to meet eyes that were so full if fear that his own heart sank. "Don't be afraid…," he said once more and realized he could hardly ask for something that he himself couldn't ignore anymore. They wouldn't see tomorrow, no one would be coming for them and the reasons, whether it was because the team couldn't find them or simply didn't care, didn't matter anymore. Their lives were about to end and he knew that nothing was waiting for them on the other side. Except never ending darkness.

His thoughts were interrupted as the drums suddenly stopped and the executioner slammed his fist into his stomach to drain his lungs from any air, before he pushed a button that pulled the feral slowly into the air. Daken was hardly aware of Northstar shouting his name before the speedster suffered the same fate. His heart was beating hammering in his chest as panic began to spread since he couldn't breath. The ears began to roar and his body was on high alert, telling him to fight for survival but he could struggle as much as he wanted, the cuffs on his wrists and legs made it impossible for him to do anything. Every single muscle in his body was tensed, adrenaline rushed through his veins while his senses were slowly fading, but not enough for him to not feel anything. It hurt, worse than being abused, worse than being beaten or burned. He wanted to breath but couldn't, still his mind and body were telling him to do so in a desperate attempt for survival. Even if he knew there was nothing underneath him but air, his legs and arms tried to find anything that he could hold onto as his life passed by before his eyes quickly…

The boys of his village teasing him for being mixed raced and therefore worthless, the villagers treated him like an outsider, his foster mother telling his foster father that she didn't love their son, the newborn baby, her attempt to kill him after he had done the same to his foster brother in jealously, him accidentally stabbing her, his foster father committing suicide because he was unable to kill his foster son, Romulus in the shadows, his agonizing and humiliating training, the pain, the suffering, the tears until he was so dead inside that he couldn't cry or feel anymore, the people he'd killed, the people he'd used just to further his own goals, the life he had hated, then his mother smiling at him, his father, the revelation of Xavier about his mother's death, the change, his son, then…_him_…, their first meeting, the first night, the banter, the confusion, the airport, Canada, the fights, Christmas, the realization, New Year, then…a loud _bang_ and nothing. Only darkness…

**I know the update came sooner than I said. It's just that I need to start typing my college paper and my birthday's coming up on the 23, so I decided to celebrate it with some friend on the 26 and 27****th****. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. The whole prison/hanging scene has been written at least 8 months ago. I'm glad I could finally use it. The next update will be around Christmas. You can expect it around Dec 25. Thanks to all that reviewed. Please leave one for this chapter, too, and let me know what you think! Take care!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one!**

**EDIT: It really sucks when 110 people click the story and only 5 take their time to review. That really doesn't motivate at all to find the time next to studying and try putting up the next chapter a.s.a.p for you. So please leave a review, even if it's a short one!  
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**ATTENTION PLEASE: From here on there won't be monthly updates anymore! I've all my final exams from February-November next year and to study a lot. So I don't have the time to update monthly anymore. Sorry! My goal is to update every two months, meaning: the NEXT chapter will be up in FEBRUARY!**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 9**

"It's okay, just breathe in deeply. Heave deep breaths!" Hank said and watched the feral gasping for air, while he had one furry hand attached to the man's neck and was keeping track of the racing heart. He looked up when James, who dropped the mutation-suppressor and cuffs and gave him and Kurt, who had teleported to free their friends, a nod. "Your healing factor should kick in soon again, just try to calm down and to stop hyperventilating," he told Daken, whose breathing sounded less forced by now but still not good enough for him to stop worrying. He looked aside to see how Jean-Paul was doing and was glad to receive a nod from Cap, who, too, was checking on the pulse of the man, who lay motionlessly on the ground and didn't give any signs of being alive, except for the fast raising and falling of his chest. "That was close…"

"Yeah, you can say that," Cap nodded and got up when Logan began to growl impatiently and wanted him to take over the jet's control. "I better switch with him before he sends us flying against a building…," he told Hank and sat down on the pilot's seat, whereas Logan went quickly over to his son and touched this one's head, cupping his face gently.

"Yer alright?" he asked worriedly and received a weak nod, watched how his son looked aside, still panting and coughing and gave the speedster next to him a look; the man lying on his belly with his head resting on his arms, his face hidden.

Daken, still trying to catch his breath, crawled the bit over to the speedster to make sure the man was okay. He reached out to touch Northstar's shoulder and rolled the man on his back like a dead doll.

"Hank?" Logan asked but the furry mutant had already knelt down and was checking on the speedster. Before the feral could ask how the man was doing, Cap's alarmed voice echoed from the front.

"Two Sentinels and two helicopters are coming in!" he informed them.

"Already on them!" Iron Man and War Machine said and Cap watched how both stopped flanking their jet and headed towards the Sentinels, the machines in front of him beginning to beep.

"They'll shot! Prepare for impact!" Cap warned and tried to shake them off.

"Impact my ass!" Logan grunted and was already out of the hatch in the roof and climbing towards the front of the jet, before Kurt was able to stop him.

"What the hell is he doing?" Hank asked and tried to attach a neck brace to Jean-Paul's neck while the jet was shacking like hell.

"His favorite hobby…," Cap cursed and nodded back at Logan, who had given him a sign that he was ready, and flew the jet closer to the helicopter to their right. He wasn't able to hear the roar Logan uttered while jumping at the helicopter, but he knew his friend well enough to know that it was there. He was joined at the front by Kurt and Hank, who, after securing their two injured friends, wanted to have a look at what Logan was doing.

This one was clawing at the helicopter, not caring that its pilot tried to shake him off and aiming for the rotor. Cap activated the intercom so that they were able to hear what the other pilot was saying and he couldn't help but smirk.

"Shake him off, shake him off!" the co-pilot was barking and the helicopter began to sway from the left to the right, nearly doing a looping in the air, but Logan was already taking a good swing and his claws cut through the metal as if it was made of paper. The rotor flew off and the helicopter was beginning to spin towards the ground.

Seeing it, Kurt teleported to catch Logan's fall and dropped him on top of the second helicopter, the rotor coming immediately off.

"That was insane, Logan!" Hank said as soon as the two mutants reappeared in the jet and shook his head.

"He loves doing it," Cap shrugged and he checked the monitor for Iron Man and War Machine, both of them trying to buy time and to keep the Sentinels off. They flew around the giant robots, attacked them from all sides, tried to blast holes into them but the machines still followed them. "We're getting close to Utopia," Cap said into the round. "We can't land without letting them know where we are hiding."

"Elf, teleport me over…," Logan began as a Sentinel suddenly appeared next to them and raised its hand to attack the jet. "ELF!"

Kurt had barely reached out to touch Logan's arm, as the Sentinel suddenly began to fold like a piece of paper and fell to the ground. "What…?"

"I'm covering you," Jean suddenly told them via intercom and their jet began to descend due to her powers. "Erik is taking care of those Sentinels."

"Taking care of one, sweetheart," Tony told her and flanked the jet again. "The second one is shitting his pants and on his way back."

"Be happy about it, Tony!" Cap warned him and let go of the controls to let Jean do the rest. "Are you and Rhodey all right?"

"Never better," the Avenger said and he and War Machine flew past the jet to land in the hangar. He opened his helmet to wink at Jean and watched how the jet landed carefully, the hatch opening.

Immediately, Jean jogged over to take a look at the still unconscious Northstar, who was carried by Hank and then waited for Logan and Daken to come out of the jet next. As soon as the men were in sight, she hugged the latter and gave him a look. "Are you all right?" she asked worriedly, cupping his cheek and, after a frown from Daken, received a nod from him.

"Ya should check on him," Logan told her with a nod at the man Hank was carrying and she followed the furry mutant. "Can ya walk?" he asked his son and wanted to help him but Daken waved off. "Ya should let them check up on ya, just in case…" He began to lead the way to the infirmary and heard his son following him slowly.

While following him, Daken kept his eyes on the ground and rubbed his burning neck for a while before he held his aching ribs. He closed his eyes briefly as the room suddenly began to spin but kept on walking. He realized that some team members were standing in the corridor, had awaited their return but couldn't hear what they were saying, looked at them wearily and suddenly began to feel very light headed. His body felt cool, the blood seeming to leave every part of his body and the spinning got even worse until he was suddenly lifted up and carried. Feeling tired, he gave in in the end and let darkness swallow him…

* * *

While Logan was pacing next to him and Scott, James and Narya leant against the wall to his right, Charles was concentrating on the people on the opposite side of the door and waited for it to be opened. By now they were already waiting for nearly two hours and he was well aware of how impatient Logan could become. That the feral hadn't torn the door open by now was a miracle to him, but he guessed that Jean was half way responsible for it.

"What is taking them so long…?" James suddenly asked, sighed and joined his cousin in walking back and forth like caged tigers.

"They probably need to make thorough check-ups. It takes time…," Charles tried to soothe him and looked back at the door in front of him. Another half an hour passed before the door finally opened and Hank joined them.

"What's the situation, Hank?" the bald man asked before Logan could either snap at Hank for taking so long or stomp past him into the ICU. Despite this, he wasn't sure whether or not to like the look Hank gave them.

"Well… Akihiro is already healing and should be fine after a long rest," the furry mutant began and crossed his massive arms over his chest. "With Jean-Paul…it will take much longer."

"How bad is it?" Narya asked, hugging herself.

"He has multiple broken ribs, bruises, his left wrist is sprained, I had to relocate his right shoulder, Jean had to perform a psychic-surgery on his left knee. It looked like someone broke it on purpose," he began to list and while Narya covered her mouth in shock, James and Logan narrowed their eyes. "He has a rather large bruise at the side of his head, but there's no bleeding or swelling, thank God. We hooked him up to fluids and nutrition, same goes for Akihiro. They obviously didn't eat at all and didn't have enough water either." He gave the chart in his right hand a brief look. "We also gave him antibiotics due to high fever and to fight off the bacterial pneumonia he's developing. Other than that, he's still unconscious and we don't think he'll wake up any time soon."

"What about my son?" Logan demanded to know and came closer, arms crossed. He watched how Hank switched the page on the chart.

"Healing from several broken ribs, fractured wrists, we relocated some joints and he is mostly dehydrated. As I said, he's healing now and we're trying to cool down his temperature. He's quiet feverish at the moment," Hank explained and frowned when Logan gave him a weird look. But he began to understand what his friend was waiting for. "If there were any other injuries that he suffered, Logan, they are gone. The might have used that mutation inhibitor on him after they tried to escape."

Only nodding, the feral went passed him and into the room where he gave Northstar a brief look and stopped at his son's bed. His eyes wandered over the younger feral's face, took notice of the fine shine of sweat and made room for Jean, who brought a bowl with cold water. Smiling at him briefly, she handed him a cloth and went on checking on the machines that observed the heartbeat and breathing. "How's he for real?" Logan whispered while cooling his son's face and the redhead looked up.

"Physically he'll be fine. Mentally…we have to wait and see, Logan," she told him and stayed at his side for a while. "Despite how bad their injuries are, they were still lucky…," she added while meeting his eyes. "They could have been dead in the end."

He nodded and, after cooling his son's face again, put the cloth on Daken's forehead. Sighing, he ran both hands over his face and pulled his wife into a hug and kiss. "I'll go 'n take a shower," he announced after a moment.

"Okay," Jean smiled and kissed him good bye before she tended to her work again. After she had noted down what the machines told her, she went over to Hank who was busy analyzing the blood he had drawn from both men. "And?"

"Despite a high leukocytes count due to their fever it's fine," he told her and looked up from the microscope to give both men a look. "If you hadn't recognized that place…"

She nodded and heaved a deep breath. "I know…"

"I'd say two seconds later and at least Jean-Paul would have been dead," he went on and crossed his arms, his face serious. "I don't even want to know what they did to them at that place…"

"Trust me, you don't," Jean muttered to herself and ran a hand through her long hair. "Do you still need me here?" she asked but Moira shook her head. "Because I think my hubby needs some cheering up." She removed her lab coat and hung it up next to the door before she left the room and walked down the corridor towards her room. The children were occupied and also Miloh and Callie preferred running around on the outside to staying in their pack's room, so she locked the room door from the inside. The water was still running in the bathroom when she opened the door. Smiling, she went into the shower after undressing and hugged Logan from behind. "You look like someone who needs some cheering up, baby," Jean said and placed a kiss on his back.

He huffed. "Ya can say that…," Logan grunted and turned around to hug her back, kissing her back when their lips met and pulling her closer against him. "A lotta cheerin' up actually…," he added suggestively in between kisses and made her smile.

"Is that so?" Jean teased and wrapped her arms around his neck, receiving a long nod. "Hm…," she made and bit her lip at his intense gaze. "Think I can help with it, baby?" she asked him innocently and squealed in surprise when he lifted her suddenly up, her back meeting the cold tiles.

"I dunno, can ya?" Logan growled huskily into her neck and nibbled on before he bit gently into her shoulder, moving his pelvis against her.

"I think I can try…," she replied, then licked over his lips and wrapped her legs around his waist.

* * *

"If we could just kidnap one of those things…," Tony thought out loud and stared at the hologram that Jarvis was projecting in front of him thoughtfully.

"You were saying?" Reed asked and enlarged his neck in order to be able to look around the machine he was working on.

"We could add a small bomb… Powerful enough to blow their whole facility up," Tony went on, still more or less speaking to himself.

Reed shrugged and was by now enlarging his back and neck to have a look at the hologram. "I'm sure they have some kind of auto pilot function that sends them back to base…," he said and eyed the Sentinel curiously. "And producing such a bomb is easy. It will not be so easy though to catch one of those."

"Maybe we don't have to catch one at all," Tony suggested and made Jarvis analyze for weak spots. He then pointed at one. "Here, see that part below the helmet?"

Reed squinted. "You mean this tiny spot there?"

"Yes, that tiny spot there if it makes you feel better," the Avenger nodded. "If we could get close enough, we could attach the bomb. It flies back to base… Boom!" he commented Jarvis' animation, but Reed remained skeptical. "You don't like it…"

"No, it's just….," Reed began and heaved a deep breath. "It's really dangerous to attach the bomb there. I'm not saying impossible, but really, really dangerous…"

"I just have to be quick enough," Tony said and crossed his arms thoughtfully. "But it's worth the try. Destroying one of their bases with just one blow? Perfect!"

"Losing your life while trying?" Reed mocked. "Not so perfect!"

"Who's losing his life?" Pepper asked after entering and put a tray with two mugs of steaming coffee next to Tony, eyeing them questioningly and waiting for a reply while Reed nodded thankfully and took one of the mugs. "Tony?" she said demanding and crossed her arms, looking at him sternly.

"Hm?" he made innocently and tried to not draw attention to him by sipping on his coffee.

"Who is dying?" she repeated.

"Oh, no one, Pepper, really. We were just discussing something," he waved off but she had already turned into Reed's direction and didn't saw the movements Tony made to tell Reed to shut up.

"Discussing what?"

"Uhm…," Reed said and frowned at Tony's jerky movements that signaled a cut throat and was directed at him. "I think I will if I say something, sp please keep me out of your marital quarrel!" He quickly disappeared behind his machine again and didn't saw how Pepper had begun to glare daggers at Tony.

"It's nothing, really," he tried to soothe her. "Just an idea."

"Yes, and I know you and your insane ideas, Mr. Stark!" Pepper said before she heaved a deep breath. "Tony, you said you'd be careful!"

He opened his mouth and pointed at himself, quickly saying before she could go on, "I'm just sitting her, drinking my coffee, I'm not doing anything, Potts!" he cried but she turned on her heel and left. "Pepper!" When the door went shut, he sighed.

Reed waited a moment before he dared to look past his machine once more. "I don't know why you stopped, but you should really start having sex again. So whatever you did to screw this up, fix it!" he suggested and waited, but his words didn't have the desired effect. "In other words," Reed sighed, "GO AFTER HER!"

Ignoring him, Tony went on typing away on his notebooks. Still, his mind didn't allow him to really concentrate on what he was doing and he finally gave up after Reed had long gone to bed. He shut the notebook off and left their makeshift lab in order to go to bed just to stare at the door opposite of his room door. His hand was already on the door knob, his heart beating to his throat when he let go of it and went over to carefully open the other door. Silently, he slipped inside and went over to the sleeping woman in the bed. He just stood there and looked at her, sat down after a moment without taking his eyes from her and thought about what Reed had said. Hell, if it was that easy, he'd be the first to do it. But he had screwed up too badly with his stupid behavior and his thickhead that he had ignored the best he ever had. He was damn lucky that she had stayed and not run off. He'd have deserved it… Smiling, Tony reached out and brushed a strand of her from her cheek before he leant down to kiss her cheek and tuck her back in. He got up and retreated back to the door, doorknob in hand…

"You know, I actually thought you had the courage to say something…," a voice made him freeze and he turned around like a rabbit that was about to be run over by a car.

"You're…awake?" he stuttered and she switched on the light, looking at him with her eyebrow raised.

"Obviously," Pepper said flatly and sat up, arms crossed.

Chewing on his lower lip, Tony let go of the doorknob and walked slowly back over to her, eyes never leaving hers and he sat back down next to her, fumbling with his shirt. He could tell her eyes were on him, so he looked at her for a second just to avoid her eyes again.

"I'm waiting…," she said and made him sigh.

"You know that I babble nonsense around you, Pepper!" he replied and held his breath when she made him look at her, his eyes briefly darting down her body. "Are you naked?"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not. I hardly doubt any women would sleep naked close to the Artic Circle, Tony," she sighed and gave him an annoyed look. "Why are you here?"

Looking at her with his deep brown eyes, he began looking for words. Still, every time he was around her, he felt like brain dead and was at a loss of words. He couldn't tell why he had come to her room and even less why he was still here. "I…don't know," he told her honestly and shrugged, looking away again.

Pepper sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. "You promised me you'd be careful, Tony. I hate it when you lie to me."

"We only talked about an idea, that was all."

"And you intend to try it," she said knowingly upon which he sighed.

"Pepper…," Tony began and shifted his position so that he was facing her. "This is a war. And we have to try everything possible to stop our enemies. Blowing up one of their facilities would be a great loss for them. And I'm still better protected in my suit than the others would be in a jet."

"Logan can heal and he would do it, too," she muttered without looking at him.

"I know. But it's my plan and we can't always rely on Logan doing the dangerous work," he tried to soothe her and met her gaze. "Pepper…" He heaved a deep breath. "I know I screwed up big time…"

"Tony!"

"No, let me finish this!" he cut her off. "I screwed up between us, I know that and you have ever reason to be mistrustful and angry, but I know what I'm doing, okay? I promised you that I'll be careful and I intend to keep that promise." Catching his breath after the quick rant he was surprised when she reached up to touch his cheek, her eyes not as angry anymore as they had been just a moment ago,

"I know…"

"You do?" he asked perplexed and she nodded.

"Still I know you and I'm worried," Pepper told him and withdrew her hand but he caught it. "Tony…," she sighed but he refused to let go and clutched it even tighter. Determined not to look up she kept her eyes on their hands, remembered how warm and skilled his were and how their hopes and dreams had been crushed by his stupidity. She knew if she looked up she would only get lost in his deep orbs again, would do something stupid that both of them would regret in the end. She was about to say something when he spoke up and surprised her.

"Can I stay here?" Tony asked and earned a shocked look from her, wanting to slap himself for his choice of words. "Not…_that_ staying here, just…staying _here_," he quickly corrected himself. "I'll also settle for the floor!"

"Tony…," Pepper sighed and realized that he was still holding on to her hand.

"I just miss this whole being with each other, Pepper. I can't talk to you or look at you or even think about you without something being there and something _is_ there!" he blurted out making her blush. "I mean I know I screwed up! I know I did wrong but this is me wanting to do it right and I just can't do this…," he went on, afraid she would cut him off and hoped anything he had said made any sense.

"I know what you mean, Tony…"

"You do?" he asked once more surprised and received a nod.

"But I'm too tired to discuss this now…," she said and he nodded in understanding. "And I don't think you really intend to sleep in your jeans and hoodie…," Pepper added, earning a confused look from him. "So I give you five minutes to get changed, Mr. Stark and if your hands wander below my belly, I'll never talk to you again!" Before she had realized it he was gone out of her room and reappeared less that a minute later, wearing a white t-shirt and long, black sweatpants, his pillow under his arm and a sheepish grin on his lips. Only able to shake her head, she made room for him and hugged her pillow tiredly. She saw how he reached out to switch off the light but gave her a look.

"Was that all, Miss Potts?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady despite his heart beating triple rhythms in his chest.

"That was all, Mr. Stark," Pepper yawned tiredly and the room went dark. "And I meant my warning, Tony!" she added just to be sure he had really understood it.

"Good night, Pepper…," was the last she heard before sleep claimed her.

* * *

In his room, Logan turned around in his sleep, his hand instantly reaching out to the side next to him and a frown became visible on his face. Even if he was deeply asleep something didn't quiet feel right. The beast in him began to feel restless, his mind rather quickly making its way back to consciousness. When he cracked a eye open and looked at the empty space next to him, he sat quickly up, his senses on high alert. Her scent was still in the air but the cold sheets told him that she was already gone for a good while. His eyes darted towards the bathroom, but there was no light on. It was not even 4 a.m. as a look at the clock told him and the beast became even more restless. It didn't feel right that she wasn't there. In the end, Logan got up to check on the children in the next room, felt relieved that they were still there and sleeping. He went over to Jamie, who had stood up in his bed and was stretching his hands into his father's direction, careful not to stomp onto Kazuki's hand; the boy sleeping next to his uncle and completely oblivious to everything. After Logan had pulled Jamie up and returned to his own room, he gave his youngest a questioning look. "Thirsty?" he asked and received a quick nod. "'kay. Let's go 'n maye we find out where mommy's."

"Mommy gone?" Jamie asked and looked down the corridor while he held on to his father's neck.

"No idea, kiddo," Logan grunted and it was no surprise to him that the light in the kitchen was still switched on. Even though Jean's scent was leading away from the room he knew his team mates well enough by now. Someone was always up. If he ever made it to the kitchen at night and no one was in it, THAT would seriously mean something was wrong.

"Hello, Logan," Charles greeted him with his usual gentle smile and the feral would have said something in return, if it wasn't for the man sitting opposite of the professor. So he settled for a brief nod and put Jamie on the kitchen counter before he attended to the fridge.

"What would ya like t'have, kiddo?" he asked and Jamie stretched his neck to have a look. "Milk?"

"No!"

"Juice?" Logan asked next after a moment of rummaging and received a nod. "'kay." While he prepared a sippy cup his eyes darted back and forth between Charles, who sipped on his tea, and Erik, who gave him another one of his smug smirks. Glaring at him, he handed Jamie his juice and waited for him to drink it.

"Mommy?" his boy asked and Erik chuckled.

"Well, did Jean run off on you?" Magneto mocked and his smirk widened when Logan's eyes narrowed warningly. "I wouldn't be surprised, if she did…"

"Erik!" Charles warned him before he tended to Logan. "Jean and Moira are in the ICU," he began when he was interrupted.

"Did they get worse?" Logan instantly asked, voice worried.

"No, they are unchanged," the bald man soothed him. "Heather has gone into labor."

Nodding in understanding, Logan looked back at his youngest who held the sippy cup into his direction. "Had enough?"

"Yeah," Jamie replied and began to eye the two older men curiously. "Daddy?"

"Hm?" Logan made and turned back around after putting the cup away.

"Want a hug!"

Chuckling, he pulled his youngest up and hugged him. "Always the heart breaker, huh?" he teased and placed a kiss to his son's cheek. "Say night."

"Night!" the boy said and waved.

"Good night, Jamie!" Charles smiled and waved back, watching how the two of them left the kitchen. He didn't have to be a psychic to read Erik's mind, too obvious was the aversion between both men. "He's a very good man, Erik."

"As far as an animal can be a man, you mean," came the cold reply and the professor sighed.

"Logan is not an animal. And he's also not the same person he was all those years ago," Charles defended his X-Man and gave his old friend a hard look.

"If you say so…," Magneto said finally.

Having heard what's been said during the conversation, Logan snorted and closed the door behind him after he had reached his room again. He couldn't care less what Magneto thought about him, he couldn't stand that man and disliked it greatly that they were dependent on him at the moment. "So, kiddo, 'n ya 'n me go back t'bed now. Lil' babies like ya need sleep 'n old men like me, too!" he announced but Jamie used his favorite word and leant into him. Logan sighed. "'kay, since mommy ain't here ya can keep me company," he gave in and placed Jamie on Jean's side of the bed, then lay down on his. "But…yer gonna sleep! 'kay?"

"Mhm, 'kay," Jamie nodded and smiled when his father kissed his cheek and wished him a good night.

"'n no runnin' around at night. Sleep!" Logan warned once more before he switched off the lights and got settled with a heavy sigh. He absolutely loathed sleeping without Jean next to him. Even knowing that she was somewhere else in the house made him feel incredibly lonely…

"So…," Erik began and put his cup down, his eyes darting towards Charles, who gave him a suspicious look. "Wolverine has an Asian son?"

"What about him, Erik?" his opposite asked even more suspiciously and leant back in his wheelchair.

"I was just asking, Charles," Erik smiled. "I heard he was pretty handsome. Can't have this from his father."

"Erik!"

"And that he was in a relationship with that speedster of yours," Magneto went on unperturbed. "What's the Wolverine thinking about all of this, hm? Is he happy about this? Acting as the proud father? How did Jean react when she found out about it?"

Charles sighed. "I can assure you that Jean quiet accepts Akihiro."

"Oh, so that's his name…," Erik nodded, glad that his plan had worked out. His smile didn't vanish when Charles leant in closer.

"You will leave that boy alone, Erik!" the Professor warned him. "He has been through too many horrible things and I won't allow that any else will use him!"

Erik stood up and walked proudly over to the door. "Quiet protective of Wolverine's queer bastard son, aren't we, Charles? How about we let that boy decide for himself?" he asked, ignored when his name was hissed in a final warning and left.

* * *

"I think it's a dog!" TJ said and eyed the white furball in front of her curiously.

"No, it's a wolf!" Lily disagreed and crossed her arms, knowing that she was right.

"Maybe it's both?" Rachel asked and reached out to stroke through the whining animal's fur. "It's cold, maybe we should get him inside?"

"You can't just drag a wolf inside!" TJ gasped and wondered why she earned weird glances. "What?"

"We have a wolf!" Jack said matter-of-factly and mimicked his twin's stance.

"Yes, but maybe his mommy is looking for him!" Isabella whined and pouted. "She'll be sad!"

"If his mommy was looking for him, she'd be here. Wolfs don't leave their cubs alone!" Lily lectured. "Daddy told us and he would know!"

"Then we should ask Uncle Logan!" TJ tried to end the fight over the little furball and pulled it up. "It's heavy."

"Don't let him fall!" Rachel cried and helped her friend with the carrying of the animal.

Together the group walked back over to the house, the snow creaking under their shoes.

"Jamie, come on!" Jack told his baby-brother and took his hand, while Kazuki was being dragged around by Rachel. Back inside he sniffed his father out and lead the group to the conference room. Not caring about what happened on the other side, he went inside and straight to his father.

The Avengers, Fantastic Four and the few X-Men that were attending stopped their discussion and looked at the children in confusion; especially Logan, who was hunched over a map, Cap and Tony next to him.

"Uncle Logan, is this a dog?" TJ blurted out and, with the help of Rachel, held the still whining animal up.

Tony was sure he had never seen Logan's eyes nearly falling out of their sockets. Well, that was except when Jean was around, of course.

"Darlin'…, where did ya find him?" Logan asked, his eyes looking at the white furball in TJ's hands.

"He was all alone on the outside, Uncle Logan!" Isabella told him and nodded when he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"'n what were ya doin' on the outside?"

"Aunt Jubilee was watching over us, daddy," Lily said and knew that it wasn't a good sign when her father sighed and squeezed his eyes with his fingers. "You said we were allowed to go outside when an adult was with us!" she tried to save the situation.

"Two actually. 'n where…is Jubes now?" Logan demanded to know but the children shrugged. "I'm so gonna…," he growled and heaved another deep breath. "It's an Arctic Wolf cub, kiddo," he told TJ and could tell that Jack and Lily had already told her so, considering their smug looks.

"And I bet his momma doesn't like it that you took her cub away," Tony added.

"But it was all alone and it's pretty skinny, daddy," Rachel said and Logan took the cub from TJ to have a better look at it.

He had to admit that his daughter was right and the cub was rather skinny. Carefully, he checked up on the puppy and eyed it critically. "Be right back," he told them and handed the puppy back over to Jack before he left the room.

"Ehm… Do we still have…that meeting or…?" Johnny Storm asked and Cap threw his hands in the air.

"Hey, buddy!" Tony suddenly said and pulled Jamie up, smiling back at the boy. "How's my pal, hm?"

Watching Tony interacting with the child, Cap could only shake his head and sat down. "Let's wait for Logan and have a break," he gave in and observed how the teams interacted, while Tony explained Jarvis to Jamie and the children patted the wolf puppy. It took about ten minutes before Logan finally returned and put a pot with some disgusting looking stuff in it in front of the puppy. Cap could tell that his friend looked rather worried and watched how Logan waited for the puppy to start eating.

"C'mon," the feral said and put some of the food he had made on a finger, trying to get the pup to eat and smiled when it finally did. "Good girl." He watched the cub for a moment before he tended to the children again. "'n ya go 'n play inside, understood?" he told them and received nods. "'n send Jubes here when ya see her!" he added. He watched them storming back out of the door and sighed. "That girl's so gonna get it," he cursed and sat back down, surprised that Tony was still explaining his computer to his youngest. "Tony?"

"Yes, dear?" the Avenger asked and looked back at him.

"He's two years old!"

Tony gave Jamie a look. "Is he?" he mocked and received a cocked eyebrow. "So?"

"He doesn't understand what yer tellin' him…"

"He can set a Rubrick's cube back together, he knew which cable was the wrong one in Canada, so I'm pretty sure he understands me now, too!" Tony said self-assured and looked at Jamie. "Right?"

"No!" Jamie said and made the group laugh, then wiggled himself off of Tony's lap.

"Traitor!" this one huffed and looked up when the door opened and Jubilee looked into the room.

"Before you start biting my head off, Wolvie, I can explain!" she instantly said and entered the room, her cheeks unusual red. "I was watching the kids when this what's-his-name of Magneto's team came and told me that he had two shirts in his laundry that didn't belong to his team, including a passport that must have gotten between those shirts. Since it were Daken's and he can be queen bitch when it comes to his things, I quickly went into his room to dispose of the things, but then…"

"Yer ain't seriously tellin' me that two damn shirts 'n a passport were more important than the kids!" Logan snarled, trying to figure out why her heart was racing and her face so red, but she quickly raised her hands.

"He IS queen bitch when it comes to his clothing, Wolvie! He's such a diva that Mariah Carey is a saint compared to him! And besides, it's all his fault anyway!" Jubilee insisted and received a glare. "It is! You should teach him to use a damn towel when he comes out of the shower!"

"And you should have the decency to knock before entering a room that isn't yours!" Daken suddenly said behind her before Logan could say anything.

"Pervert!"

"Annoying brat!" he returned the favor and walked past her, nodding at his surprised father.

"I could have turned blind!" Jubilee cried and made him snort.

"If that was the case, you'd already be considering who you're married to," he muttered and frowned at the puppy.

"Thank God, I didn't look!" she huffed and received an arrogant smirk from him.

"That's right. You stared, dear."

"I so _did_ not!"

"Ten seconds to be precise," Daken said and added, "Considering your scent you liked what you saw."

Her mouth dropped at so much arrogance. "I felt disgusted, you…arrogant jerk!" Jubilee snapped and her face was beat red, something that made him smile. "Stop grinning like an idiot!" she added and quickly left the room, leaving the group inside to stare at the door.

"Brat…," Daken muttered with a shake of his head and turned to his father, who eyed him curiously.

"Why ain't ya in bed?" Logan asked and made a step towards him.

"Why should I be, father?" Daken asked in return and gave him a questioning look back. "I'm healed up and feel fine."

"Ya don't look fine," Logan said worried and frowned when he smirked.

"Considering that brat's reaction, I think I do," his son replied. In the end he had taken a thorough shower, cut and styled his hair and looked like his old, handsome self. Especially in his personal designer clothing that he had missed so much. His eyes darted towards Cap and narrowed when this one came towards him and held out his hand.

"I'm sorry about what happened. I shouldn't have intervened with your mission. I apologize," the blond said and even though Daken's senses told him that it was honest, he knew better.

"I tell you how we play this, okay? So just stand there and look pretty," he replied and Cap began to frown. "I don't like you, you don't like me and I know you don't want to shake hands with me, so how about I just nod and we leave it at this?" he said and his voice indicated that he didn't expect an answer. He then turned towards Johnny. "And you!"

"Me?" the man asked confused.

"If I catch you touching my shirts, you'll lose your hands, understood?" Daken snarled his warning.

"How…come you know?" Johnny asked, swallowing hard.

"Wait, let me guess… Probably because your scents all over two of them?" the feral mocked and sat down on the empty stool opposite of Johnny, handing his father a sheet of paper.

"What's this?" this one asked and sat down next to him, watching out of the corner of his eyes how Jamie walked over to his older brother and demanded to be pulled up.

"Places where _he_ has contacts and I heard them talking about," his son replied casually and finally pulled Jamie on his lap. "Sinister was complaining about some telepath and that the security wasn't as tight at some places as he wants it to be. Plus, they have some trouble with some mutant resistance group. I marked them as green," he said and Logan eyed the sheet for a moment before he handed it over to Cap and Tony.

"Hiroki?" Jamie asked and poked into his brother's chest to get his attention, then pointed at the wolf on the ground, who had curled up and was sleeping. "Doggy!"

"Yes, fantastic…," Daken replied, completely unimpressed. "What's this dustball doing here?"

"Kids found her," Logan told him while he was studying the buildings Jarvis displayed after Tony had entered the locations mentioned on the sheets. "This one is close t'the border. We should check it out," he suggested and Cap nodded. After he had made a team, he returned the look his son was giving him. "I know what yer thinkin', but I want ya t'stay here," he told him after they had left the room and were heading down the corridor. Feeling an objection coming, he quickly added, "I know yer angry, I know ya wanna kill him, so do I! But ya were tortured 'n nearly killed 'n even though ya look fine physically…"

Daken suddenly chuckled. "So you believe I'm not well mentally?" he demanded to know and shifted Jamie on his arm. "News to you, father, but…"

"That's not what I meant," Logan cut him off once more and sighed, looking for the right words. "I want ya t'take it easy. Just because we do have a healin' factor doesn't mean we're invincible! 'n ya can't tell me that all he did was torturin' ya…" Seeing how his son suddenly avoided eye contact, he knew he had his answer. "Listen, I appreciate that ya want t'help. But I want ya t'get yer old strength back first. 'n besides…_he_ needs ya. So do me the favor 'n stay here, 'kay?" Logan asked and figured that it must almost sound like begging to his son. He was expecting resistance and a fight but in the end, he received a shrug, which seemed to him more like a sulk. "Thanks!" he nodded and patted his son's shoulder before he ruffled Jamie's hair and turned around. "Oh, could ya take her 'n clean her? I made enough food for her, so she'll be fine until I get back. Just keep her away from Miloh 'n Callie until then. 'n it would be nice if ya could watch over the kids! Thanks!"

Before Daken had even realized it he was left standing in the middle of the corridor, Jamie on one arm and the puppy on the other. "Just great…," he cursed and dropped his little brother to the ground before he aimed for his room, hearing how Jamie followed him. "Don't you have anything to do?" he asked annoyed after he had reached his room and had placed the puppy in the shower.

"No?" Jamie replied and came closer to have a better look at what his brother was doing with the puppy. "Doggy!" he said and pointed at the wolf cub, who sat in the shower, looking around and was shaking like a leaf.

"Yes, doggy," Daken grunted and took Northstar's shampoo because there was no way in hell he would use his expensive things. While he began cleaning the wolf's fur he could feel Jamie's eyes on him and it annoyed him somehow. He frowned when the boy leaned forward a bit to have a better look and pulled a face.

"Eww," Jamie said and pointed at the wolf. "Dirty doggy," he noticed and watched how his brother finished bathing the puppy before he took Jean-Paul's towel to dry it off, then put the wolf cub on the ground and watched him exploring the room carefully. "Hiroki?" he asked to get attention and two dark hazel eyes settled on him. "Want a hug!" Jamie demanded and raised his arms.

"A hug?" Daken asked and rolled his eyes but obliged him in the end. "Satisfied now?" he asked and wanted to put his brother back down but this one held on to his neck. "What is it now?"

"Give me food!" Jamie said and remembered that he usually had to add something in order to get what he wanted. He thought hard. "Peaaaase?"

"Do you realize that you're annoying?" the older feral sighed and stood up, still with Jamie attached to his neck. He had barely reached the door when his younger brother began to squeal into his sensitive ears.

"Noooo! Doggy!"

"Doggy what?" Daken snarled and considered just dropping him to the ground or locking him out of his room. But then he realized that his younger brother would probably get upset and blow his door open. Damn the Phoenix Force…

"No alone!" Jamie told him and was happy when the annoyed man pulled the puppy up next. When he was dropped on the kitchen counter he watched how Daken rummaged in the fridge and smiled and waved when someone entered the room. "Hi!"

"Hi!" Kazu replied and watched his father attentively.

"Food?" Jamie asked and Daken turned around ready to snap at him for being so impatient when he realized that his brother wasn't talking to him.

"Mhm," Kazuki nodded and walked over to his father, taking hold of this one's leg. "Daddy? I'm hungry!"

"And I'm annoyed…," Daken muttered to himself and was glad when he could finally sit down and have dinner himself, even thought the puppy was sleeping on his lap. About half an hour later he was lying on the soft carpet in front of the stove and reading a book, the puppy next to him and, his mind trying to ignore it, his son and brother sitting on his back and playing horsie. He would have been fine with it, if he wasn't chosen as the horse.

"You must be Akihiro…," a deep voice suddenly said to his right and Daken gave the older man a neutral look. "I already heard a lot about you," Magneto smiled and sat down on the couch a glass of wine in his hand. He gave the man in front of him a closer look, his smile never vanishing. "My…I heard you were good-looking but your looks really don't do any descriptions justice."

Daken snorted and turned a page in his Greek book. "I'm taken and I don't do grandpas anyway. How about you go look for some other boy toy?"

Magneto chuckled. "Oh, please! I'm not into this. I was just curious to get to know you. Being Wolverine's long lost son and all…" He waited but there was no reply. "So… It must be difficult for you, isn't it? Having a popular father and having to fight for your share of his attention?" he asked but once more didn't get a reply. He became skeptical since Daken was not showing any emotion on his face, but chose to look at his book instead, the kids still playing horsie. "It must be hard…," Erik tried another trick and gave his wine glass a melancholic look. "Being reunited with your father after such a long time and then having to deal with so many siblings at once… In my eyes Wolverine is no one who should judge you for your…" He paused to achieve the best effect. "…choice of partner. I think it's just another demonstration of his single mindedness…, poor boy…" He smiled internally when Daken finally gave him a look and frown, could tell that he had hit some nerve. "I assume you haven't heard about what's been said behind your back?" he asked with fake sympathy in his voice and his opposite's look didn't change. "Well, daddy obviously doesn't trust you as much as he wants you to believe. The X-Men neither."

"And you would know, hm?" Daken asked and groaned when he realized that Kazuki had fallen asleep against his back, while Jamie had against his nephew. His day couldn't get worse…

"Of course. I talked to Charles about it at night and he told me that he keeps you under surveillance because you worked for our enemies," Erik shrugged innocently. "I think it's wrong to judge someone because of his old affiliations or…tendencies…"

"Tendencies?" Daken asked and was still eyeing Magneto without any emotion visible on his face.

"You know…considering your…choice of partner…," Magneto replied and made it sound as if he didn't felt comfortable telling him about the betrayal. "Your father might say that he's acceptive of your relationship but word has it that…he's quiet ashamed to have a…queer son." He waited a moment to let the words sink in. "But then again it's the Wolverine," Erik added and got up. "He doesn't see someone valuable and talented when that person is right in front of him. And as far as I've heard you're very intelligent, right?" Smiling, he left the room and was satisfied with how things had turned out. He was still smiling when Jean walked past him and gave him a mistrustful look.

She knew what it could mean when Erik was smiling like this and Charles had warned her. So she entered the room he had just left and was surprised to find Daken on the ground with the two sleeping children on his back, his nose stuck in the book again. "Hey," she smiled at him and stopped next to him. "I didn't know you were already up. How are you feeling?"

"Good," was his short answer and he had said it without looking up.

"What did Erik say?" she sighed and sat down on the ground next to him, her mind taking the book out of his hand.

"That you don't trust me and that my father's ashamed of having a queer son, as he put it," he said in a monotone voice and gave her a look.

"That's…," Jean began nut he cut her off.

"I know it's not true. His son is licking my boots since we got here," he told her and received a surprised look.

"I didn't know about it…," Jean said and gave the two boys a look. She smiled. "Do you want me to free you from them?"

"I'd appreciate it," he sighed in relief and made her laugh. He watched how she took both boys and put them carefully on the couch, then tucked them in. Sitting up, he crossed his legs and waited.

"Are you really feeling okay?" she asked and sat back down next to him, voice and eyes worried and he could tell she meant it. "And don't tell me yes. I don't believe that what you've been through doesn't affect you somehow… I mean, I know your father and he always gives me the 'I'm fine'-routine when he's not."

"I'm not my father," Daken replied.

"I know you're not. That's not what I meant," Jean said. "But judging from Jean-Paul's injuries I assume that you have been treated equally worse, if not even worse than him. I know you think that it doesn't affect you because you've always treated like that in your life, but… I just hope you realize that you can always come to us if you feel like talking. We're your family," she went on and could tell what he was thinking behind those impenetrable eyes of his. "I know I'm not your mother and would never dare trying to replace her. But I hope you might be able to accept me as a friend one day…" Waiting a moment, she got up and gave the two boys a look. "You should take it easy for a while."

Daken watched her leaving, thoughtfully. "Can I see him?"

"Of course you can," she smiled. "Just leave the puppy in your room, please."

"It's not my puppy," he muttered after she had left and took his book, then the puppy and put the latter on his bed, before he headed for the ICU.

* * *

Johnny was amazed, even though amazed was a big understatement. He was excited! His team had hardly ever done any black-ops stuff that included sneaking into buildings, getting past heavily armed soldiers without being seen. He felt like Solid Snake in Metal Gear. That reminded him of the fact that he really needed to get his hands on a Playstation soon again. While he followed Cap, Logan and Hawkeye, he was responsible for the intel Tony gave them by hovering in the air in stealth mode. They hadn't met any soldiers since they had entered the facilities lower levels and he could tell that the others were quiet tense. Logan constantly sniffed the air, Cap had his shield ready in front of him and Hawkeye had his bow ready, leaving him to do…noting. In the end his flame would give them away.

"There must be someone around here…," Logan grunted and sniffed again. His footsteps made no noise at all even though the ground was wet.

Johnny had to give him that. The man new how to make an unexpected entrance. That reminded him of something he meant to tell Logan. "You know…your son should totally play Assassin's Creed!"

"Johnny…," Hawkeye sighed but Logan was already giving the blond an odd look.

"I mean his inner wrist claws?" Johnny went on. "Ubisoft totally copied that from your son. I'm sure! Did he ever date one of the creators?"

"You can't be serious!" Cap hissed and Johnny shrugged.

"Why not? He probably only needs to snap his fingers and already has ten people on each one with his looks…"

"Cap actually meant…shut up!" Hawkeye explained.

"Oh…, okay. Still, he so has those hidden blades going for him," Johnny sulked and was suddenly thrown down by Logan. "Hey, it wasn't meant as an insult!" he cried out as he realized that bullets were coming from all sides.

Logan was shielding him, Cap was shielding them, Hawkeye was shooting arrows and he knew it had been too quiet the whole time through.

"Shit!" Cap cursed as a bullet scraped his arm and crouched even deeper. "Where are they?"

"Behind that wall at 3 o'clock," Hawkeye informed them and shoot another arrow when Logan suddenly grabbed his arm. "What the…?"

"Dom, stop shootin', damn it!" Logan barked and the rain of bullets suddenly stopped.

"Logan?" a female voice asked and a woman with pale skin and a black circle around her left eye looked around the corner.

"Yeah, it's me," he replied and stood up so that she could see him.

"Who else is with you, Logan?" she asked and still kept her weapons ready.

"Cap, Clint 'n Johnny. Tony's keeping the sky under surveillance," he told her and the group walked over to her.

"Long time no see," Domino said and put her guns away, eyeing him curiously. "You haven't changed one bit." Chuckling, he nodded. "It's good that you're here."

"Why?" Cap asked and she beckoned them to follow her. "We actually heard about a resistance _group_…," he mentioned after a while and heard her huffing.

"We were a group before those assholes killed most of us," she cursed and they ended up in a room. "Frank needs medical attention. Natalia and Nick are injured, too, but better off than he is."

"Was about time you came!" Fury said and sat slowly up, his shoulder and right arm bandaged.

"Sorry for the delay, we were busy staying alive," Cap apologized sarcastically and nodded at Black Widow. "Blint and I can carry Frank, Logan and Dom take over the front, Johnny the back. If we go, we should do it now!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Fury interjected. "Going _where_? Last time we checked most of the east coast looked like World War II."

"Genosha…," Clint said and Fury simply stared at him.

"Genosha?" he asked and looked to and fro at them. "You're staying with Magneto?"

"Great that we talked about it, but can we go now?" Cap asked, voice urgent and he and Clint picked up the unconscious Frank.

"I would have never thought that you from all people would stay with Magneto," Fur said, directed at Logan, who took the front of the group.

"I ain't there voluntarily," this one grunted and led the way back.

"How many are left?" Natalia demanded to know and limped her way up the stairs.

"Not enough…," Logan grunted and began to feel uneasy when no one was getting into their way as they reached the facility again. "Doesn't smell right t'me…," he grunted and checked with Tony.

"Everything's clear here. No one got out," this one confirmed and Logan heaved a deep breath.

"Keep yer eyes open!" he told the group and led the way further, still feeling uneasy when they were back at the jet and ready to go.

"Maybe we caught all of them?" Hawkeye said but Logan shook his head.

"I smelled 20 of'em. We killed 12, leaves 8."

"You're getting old!" Tony teased him and flanked the jet again when they headed back.

"I'm tellin' ya somethin's wrong…," Logan grunted and kept his eyes on the screens while Cap was piloting the jet. Back in Canada he called the ICU and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hey," Jean greeted him and made him smile. "Is everything all right?"

"Up t'now, yeah. We're comin' in with three wounded," he informed her and she nodded.

"I'll let Hank and Moira now and we'll prepare the ICU. How long will you need?"

"Nearly there, darlin'."

"Okay," Jean said and had already called the other two doctors mentally. "Oh, and Heather had a girl. Hope," she informed him, making him smile.

"Did James faint?" Logan asked and her look spoke volumes. "He so won't hear the end of it…"

"I knew you'd say that," Jean commented his grin. "I'll see you later. Be careful!" The screen went black at the same time as they heard an explosion and the line with Mark VI was briefly cut off.

"What the hell was that?" Cap asked and made sure Tony was still next to them.

"I don't know. I don't have anything on radar except this giant bird…," Tony told him and sounded breathless due to the shock. "Wait…it's not a bird. A man with wings."

"Angel?" Logan said and checked the radar.

"No, that guy has metal wings, Logan," Tony told him after Jarvis had run an analysis. "But he's coming in fast…"

As another explosion made the jet shake, Logan called Genosha again. "We're bein' attacked," he informed Pietro, who ran off to alarm the others. "There's nothin' on the radar, damn it!" he cursed as all of a sudden the huge shadow flew over the jet and he saw the metal-winged man himself. But he wished he hadn't. His hand reached out to call the ICU again, as something shiny cut threw the glass and Cap cried out. His hands slid from the controls and the jet began to spin. From then on everything went downhill so fast that even he couldn't follow the attack with his heightened senses. He heard explosions, felt the jet swaying dangerously in the air even though he tried his best to keep it steady, saw how Cap tried to cover himself with his shield, five metallic feathers stuck in his chest and more coming through the windshield, heard Jean's voice from somewhere else as another explosion struck and the jet's controls were gone. He heard screams, he smelled smoke, he saw those metallic wings striking over and over again and suddenly realized that they were surrounded by Sentinels that attacked again and again. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact, which never came, at least not as hard as he had expected but still hard enough that he banged his head on something and blacked out for a moment.

As he came by again, one Sentinel was staring into the jet and it took Logan a moment to realize that this one had been shot down and was offline. He looked aside and watched how Bucky and Hawkeye tried to figure out how to move Cap out of the jet without injuring him further. Blood seemed to be everywhere and it wasn't before a hand touched his cheek that he blinked and looked up, his mind becoming slowly clearer. It's been a trap…they'd been set up and lured into the trap like cats to the mouse…

"Are you all right?" Jean asked and gave him a worried look but he nodded and got slowly up, still unsteady.

"Angel…," he breathed but Jean already nodded and it was then that he suddenly saw the tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, darlin'?" Logan asked and his heart began to beat in triple rhythms, but before he could reply Bucky looked at him with an angry glare.

"Do you still believe that your son isn't working for _them_?" the man snapped and left without bothering to give him another look.

"What the…?" Logan began when Jean touched his cheek to get his attention.

"Sentinels have been attacking you and Tony had tried to fight them off. In the end he didn't see another way and used his one-time-attack laser. It made the jet crash but he knew we were here," she explained and supported his weight as they walked outside.

Logan looked around and realized that six or eight Sentinels were pretty much everywhere scattered in the snow. "They weren't visible on the radar…," he muttered as he noticed something and his eyes fell on Jean. "Did ya just use past sentence?" he asked and noticed that she swallowed hard.

"Two Sentinels shot at him at the same time…," she said and heaved a deep breath. "He fell from the sky, Logan. He came down somewhere in the mountains and Charles can't connect to Tony's mind… If he was just unconscious, Charles could still find him but…"

Jean didn't have to explain further. Logan had already understood what this meant…

**I know. Cliffhangar again. My X-mas present to you!**

**I actually gave a hint to Archangel in an earlier chapter when the group was still staying at Howlett mansion. Remember Kazu asking about a tenshi (angel)?**

**Anyway as I said I probably won't be able to update monthly since I have all my final exams (7 in total) in order to get my . degree next year. I will try to update at least every second month, maybe I can do monthly, I don't know, yet. Those who follow on Facebook will know, those on Twitter, too. I'll keep you updated there. Other than that, keep your eyes open if you're not members here!**

**And please leave a review! It really sucks when only few out of 100+ clicks actually leave a review and tell me what they think! I take my time, so please take yours!**

**See ya! And have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!  
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	11. Chapter 10

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**ATTENTION PLEASE: From here on there won't be monthly updates anymore! I've all my final exams from February-November this year and to study a lot. So I don't have the time to update monthly anymore. Sorry! My goal is to update every two months, meaning: the NEXT chapter will be up MID APRIL! So R&R to get my motivation up! lol**

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**What do you think about the First Class trailer? I'm still not convinced at all. I dislike their lack of following continuity but speaking of a prequel… I like that Magneto though.**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 10**

Beams could be seen that indicated something was soaring through the sky that was still pitch black. The sun hadn't been shining, the sky not been seen since Apocalypse had taken the reigns and was living his dictatorship of _fortissimus quisque tantum superset_, survival of the fittest. The single Sentinel flew past others of his kind that were either patrolling the air or hunting down people and mutants alike. His goal was different. He needed to get back to base for debriefing. In the end, he was the only one left after they had chased down the fugitives and needed repair. When the hidden facility came up he descended and flew through the gate, past thousands of others like him, which stood dormant and waited for their deployment. Oblivious to the hidden, blinking device on his neck, right under his helmet, he landed in his usual place and waited for machines to connect him to the main computer.

"Why is it only one?" one of the workers asked and looked at his colleague, who was typing on his keyboard and waited for the Sentinel to send his data.

"Who knows what those things are up to…," his co-worker mumbled and pressed ENTER with a sigh. "I'm in need for a coffee. Want one?" he asked and got up, received a nod and was out of the door, leaving it to his colleague to run the damage analysis.

The man sat down on the empty stool and stared at the screen, watching the data being passed back and forth in boredom until he noticed something. "What the hell is this?" he asked and typed in a command to zoom in on the back of the Sentinel's head. His eyes grew wide as a red digital clock counted from 0:03 backwards and he had barely said "OH FUCK!" as the Sentinel exploded and took the whole facility with it.

* * *

"So…," Fury said and, while he made sure his arm was covered with his leather coat. "What's the plan?" He stopped at the table and gave Scott an expectant look, who looked back at him in utter confusion and turned to Logan for an explanation. But Logan chose to shrug only.

"We are currently trying to locate Tony," Scott therefore said and looked once more back at Logan, when Fury's eye still gave him an odd look.

"You are _trying_ to locate him?" Fury said matter-of-factly and received a nod. "So you plan to storm into an area, an area up there in the mountains and _try_ to find someone, who was shot down by Sentinels? All of that while our enemies are probably patrolling that area and _try_ to find us?"

"We ain't leavin' Tony there!" Logan finally growled and got up.

"Yes, right, Wolverine," Fury nodded and wanted to cross his arms but figured that this wasn't such a good idea. "You'll endanger us!"

"Tony might be injured 'n needs help! We ain't gonna leave him there 'n ya don't have a say in it, Nick!" Logan roared, obviously pissed off and slammed the door shut behind him.

Scott looked from the door to Fury and pointed at the first. "What he said," he told the latter and followed him, hearing Fury sigh and mumble something about being stupid.

"Is the jet ready?" Logan barked into the huge hangar and watched how Peter and Kurt were still working on the front, while Reed was literally working with his hands and feet on the back.

"No, the damage was greater than we thought," Reed told him and extended his neck so that he didn't have to bark that much. "Your old jet is fine. Just the stealth is broken. I didn't have the time to fix that, yet."

"Then we'll use it," Logan nodded and looked past him. "Elf, I need ya on the team!" he barked and Kurt teleported over to him. Together they walked down the corridor to find more people suitable for a search party.

"Do you think he's still alive?" Kurt dared to ask the question that no one wanted to speak out loud.

"I hope so…," Logan mumbled and they had barely passed the dormitories as a loud _BANG_ echoed through the corridor. He heard glass shattering to pieces, people shouting and an angry roar that definitely sounded like a huge angry wolf or bear. Before he could go and check it out, a door was opened and Rictor, dressed in black PJ pants that he was half falling over while trying to pull them up, stormed towards the backdoor in the kitchen, cursing in Spanish. "Something's up…"

"I think so…," Kurt nodded and followed Logan. They had barely reached the room, when they heard Rictor barking for someone to stop and let go, while some others were gathered at the window and watching the brawl on the outside.

"What the hell's goin' on?" Logan asked into the round, not feeling like being distracted from the actual task.

"Ehm… Some…really giant wolf in clothing is biting into this guy's arm and…the other one is barking at them," Bobby told him without taking his eyes of the fight.

"What?" Logan asked, since he didn't understand what was going on and joined them at the window. He cocked an eyebrow as he saw a giant wolf in clothing biting into a half-naked, red-haired man's arm. He didn't even have to concentrate hard on what was being said on the outside, Rictor was barking loud enough for anyone to hear.

"Dios, stop biting into his arm, Rahne!" the brown haired man shouted, arms hugging himself due to the freezing cold on the outside and considered what to do. She had her teeth in Shatterstar's arm, her claws in his skin and he was trying to throw her off him. "Damn it, stop it!" he barked as she went on clawing at the redhead and he could already see the smear of blood on the pale man's skin. Due to his anger, the ground began to shake heavily and he ran a frustrated hand through his messed up hair. He had no idea where that woman was suddenly coming from.

"Should we…I don't know…," Bobby began and looked at Logan, but he shook his head and pointed behind him.

"What's the matter?" Jean asked, had followed his call and came closer.

"I ain't gonna go between them when she's that pissed off. Could ya?" Logan asked and Jean had barely nodded when she tore the furious Rahne off Shatterstar and slammed her into the snow.

Surprised about it, Rictor stared at the angry mutant before he knelt down next to the redhead, who was still glaring at the wolf and wished for his two swords. "Dios, are you all right, amigo?" Rictor asked concerned and took the bloody arm into his hands, heard how Rahne began to growl angrily once more.

"Ah'll tear ye throat out, ya hear me?" she snarled and her brown fur was standing up due to her fury. "Ah'll kill ye, ye son of a…" She heaved deep breaths and got back on her feet, eyes narrowed to slits while she watched how Rictor simply ignored her and tended to Shatterstar.

"You need a bandage."

"I'm fine," Shatterstar said and got up, eyes making sure the wolf was standing where she was before he reached out to touch Rictor's shoulder. "You're cold."

"No shit, Sherlock," this one huffed and took him by the arm to lead him back to the back door, noticing how Rahne began growling again. "Don't…you dare!"

"Ye mind-controllin' bastard!" she threw the next insult at the redhead, who still gave her a confused look. "Ah'll slice ye open like a…"

"No!" Rictor snapped at her after he was halfway back in the kitchen. "No, you won't touch him! Understood? He is neither mind-controlling me nor doing anything else. So leave him the hell alone! Thanks to you we don't have a window anymore and can switch rooms!" Angrily, he slammed the door shut and groaned when Shatterstar was shamelessly flirting with Jean, who was bandaging his arm; much to Logan's dismay. "Star…"

"Tell yer boyfriend t'keep his hands off my wife!" the feral warned him and then nodded at Rahne, who was looking like her human self now, when she entered the room. "Long time no see, kid," he greeted her and remembered how she had apparently died after Sabretooth's attack, while trying to protect his children, and then been the only survivor of the junior team.

"Hi…," she greeted him back and watched how Rictor was thanking Jean and trying to push Shatterstar away from the woman.

"Stop it!" he hissed and received a confused look from the redhead.

"I was only connecting…," Shatterstar began to apologize but was silenced by a glare.

"Thanks for patching him up," Rictor said and Jean nodded, still confused about what's going on. When he turned to leave, his arm dragging the male redhead with him, he heard someone speaking up.

"What did ye do to him, ye…," Rahne began.

"Nothing, yet. But five minutes later and…," Shatterstar replied and was surprised when she began to roar once more and shoved Rictor quickly behind him, but Logan had already wrapped both arms around the woman and held her close.

"Let's go," Rictor hissed and pulled the confused man with him.

"She asked. I just…"

"I know. But she won't understand. So let's just go and find a new room for tonight," the heard the brown-haired man saying and they were gone.

Only shaking his head, Logan let go of Rahne, who still heaved deep and angry breaths and was about to ask Jean something when Domino entered. Her eyes instantly fell on Rahne and she chuckled.

"I figure you caused havoc that late?" she asked and helped herself to a coke. She took a gulp and looked at the woman's upset face. "Rahne dear, you must have been blind to not notice. Really."

"He isn't like _that_!" Rahne snapped at her and began walking over to the door, still angry and shocked as hell.

"I hate to bust the news to you but yeah, he is like that and he has always been. It was always Shatty for him and Ric for Shatty," Domino called after her and went on sipping on her coke.

"Did ya have t'be so straightforward? She's already upset enough," Logan grunted and crossed his arms.

"She'll survive," Domino shrugged and threw the empty bottle away. "Besides…I have no idea in hell how she couldn't have noticed all those years. Right, Jamie?" she asked and looked at Madrox, who nodded. "Speaking of the devil…"

"Thanks…," Rictor growled at her and tended to Madrox. "Can we sleep on our mattress on the floor in your room?"

Jamie gave him an unreadable look. "Uhm…no?"

"C'mon, Pietro said there's no free room and it's only for tonight!" Rictor said but Madrox shook his head. "I don't want to sleep on the couch! Star will watch TV all night long and I really, really wanna sleep," he cried and made a begging gesture.

"As if…," Jamie commented and received a look for that comment. "I need my sleep!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Probably that with the two of you in the same room…," Domino began and received a warning glare. "You can sleep in my room, okay? But really just for tonight," she offered and began to frown when he had to think about it. "What? I thought it was so urgent?"

"Do you…sleep in your underwear only?" Rictor asked her skeptically.

"No, naked!" she replied sarcastically. "Of course, you moron!"

He sighed heavily and walked back over to the door. "We'll take the couch then. Goodnight!"

Completely confused, she gave Madrox a questioning look. "What the hell was that?"

He sighed. "Star recently discovered that he has emotional and sexual potential and now acts like a kid in the candy store."

"Good for him but what does this have to do with me?" Domino asked and he shrugged in an ironic way.

"You're the candy…"

"Oh…"

"Yeah… But don't worry. At the moment everything with a pulse is candy, so…" Madrox shrugged.

"Explains Ric's bad mood…," she nodded in understanding. "So what about the search party, Logan?" she changed the topic and gave the feral a look, who had watched the whole exchange in silence and couldn't believe he had ended up in a bigger nuthouse than the old mansion.

"Yeah… We'll take our old jet," he grunted and looked into the group, considering who else besides Kurt, Parker, Clint and Scott he could take with him. "Could ya come with us?" he asked Jean in the end.

"Of course," she nodded and left to change back into her casual clothes since she was already in her PJ pants and one of his sweatshirts.

"What about me?" Domino asked and crossed her arms.

"Yer hurt…," he waved off and frowned when she came over to him, swaying her hips lasciviously. When she rested her hands on his chest, he cocked an eyebrow at them.

"You know me very well and I think you can need my luck. So when do we leave?" she asked him sweetly and was surprised when he stepped back.

His eyes fell on the door where Jean reappeared, dressed up in warm clothes. "Now. Kurt, c'mon," he said and led the way. "Tell Parker, Clint'n Scott t'meet us at the hangar," he said but the redhead was already smiling.

"Already done."

Smiling back, he chuckled. "Right…"

When they reached the hangar he waited for the team to buckle in and started the engines. Jean was his co-pilot and he knew that she was scanning the jet mentally to make sure it was fine. When they set off he typed in the coordinates that Reed had been able to extract from the other jet. They knew Tony had come down somewhere in the mountains, also that his suit wasn't sending any signals or that the Professor couldn't reach him. Pepper was already close to having a mental breakdown and was being taken care of by Elektra and MJ. He hoped they would find him and especially that he was still alive. Logan looked aside when Jean glanced over to him and wondered if he had been sending his thoughts. When he looked behind him and noticed Domino winking at him, he sighed. He should have known that he wouldn't be left off the hook by her that easily… Concentrating back on the front, he realized that they were coming up on the area and nodded at his wife, who nodded back. It didn't take long for her eyes to glow like fire and she began scanning the area. At the same time he was keeping an eye on the monitors, Clint and Parker looking out of the windows whereas Kurt was keeping an eye out for any threats coming up. It would take a while, he was aware of that. He just hoped the whole task would have a good ending…

* * *

Back at Genosha Bucky was observing Hank, who was treating Cap's wounds and was bandaging the man's messed up chest. "You were lucky," the furry mutant told the Avenger and made him hiss as he pulled on the dressing. "Those things could have gotten straight through to your heart. You're really lucky that no organs were hurt." He finished with his task and grabbed the tray in which the remains of the metallic feathers lay. Most of the still had blood on them. He still couldn't believe what Logan had told him, that one of their friends was now their enemy and a monster. "Warren…," he sighed and shook his head, disposed of the feathers, washed his hands and went over to the cupboard to take a bottle with pills out of it. "Here. If the pain gets too strong take one of those."

"Thank you," Cap said and pulled an unbuttoned shirt carefully over his shoulders, not caring to button it. He was happy the less he had to move. Getting up, he left the med bay and noticed that Bucky was still scowling. "I'm telling you again, it's not making sense!"

"Not making sense?" Bucky asked and scoffed. "Think about it, Steve! We were fine in Canada, he comes to the house and we're being attacked. Then he is back here and we're being attacked. Maybe this whole going back to New York thing was only a way to lure us into a trap. He knew Logan would come for him! And before you ask, yes, I think he is that fucked up!" Bucky began his rant. "That guy can control emotions! He can make anyone believe that he is the sweetest angel and in fact he's a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

"I'm telling you that it doesn't make any sense!" Cap insisted and came to a halt at the room they shared. Inside, he let himself fall on the bed and held his aching chest. "I think that there's a mole, yes… A while ago I would have agreed on it being Daken… But that doesn't make sense…"

"Why?" Bucky demanded to know and Cap sighed.

"Back then in Canada it was him who was being attacked. They came for Daken and injured him," Cap began. "He left us in New York because we intervened with his mission and were rude to him, he broke himself and Northstar out of the prison, knowing full well that Northstar would slow him down due to his injuries. Why would he do that? If my goal was to hurt the group, I would have left Northstar at the prison and told the group that he was dead and that I had barely escaped. I wouldn't endanger myself. The same goes for him saving Jubilee and the children. Why would he do that, if he wanted to hurt us? He could have killed them and told us that they had died in the blast. No one would have found out the truth, Bucky! So him being the mole doesn't fit. It's not making sense to endanger himself and getting nearly killed twice in that process just to make us believe that he's on our side. As you said, he can control emotions. He could easily lie us straight in the face and we wouldn't notice!"

"And what makes you believe that he doesn't do exactly that? What proof do we have that he got really tortured? Maybe they knew we were nearly there when he got hanged, knew that we would be there in time. He's fucked up, Steve! He's a complete nutcase!" Bucky insisted. "I swear that guy will get us killed!"

Cap heaved a tired breath and ran a hand over his face. "Listen… You don't like him. I don't really like him either…"

"Then let's grab and question him!" Bucky said and received a frown. "Logan is looking for Tony. So we have some time."

"And what do you intend to do? Beat him up?"

"He'll heal." Bucky shrugged and crossed his arms.

"The mole is not him. If I wasn't sure of this, I'd say fine, go ahead. But I'm convinced that it's not him, Bucky. Besides I doubt he would talk no matter what you do to him," Cap replied and didn't like the gleam in Bucky's eyes. He shook his head. "No!"

"Why not? He cares for him! Or pretends he does so…" Looking outside, Bucky was checking on the grounds that were empty, the waves of the ocean softly pushing ice and snow around. He really missed living in the city… "I could do it in secret. No one would know!" he suggested but Cap shook his head.

"Logan will easily smell you on him. And I doubt that Daken wouldn't tell him about it," Cap disagreed and Bucky helped him to pull off the shirt. "Let's wait for Logan to call. I'm really getting tired." He lay carefully down and heaved a deep breath before he closed his eyes.

Bucky waited a moment and left the room in the end. After he had helped himself to a drink and had checked up on Reed, who was still working on the damaged jet, he walked through the dark and empty corridors thinking about what to do. As he was still not tired and his mind too occupied with the whole situation, he went to the gym and was surprised to hear the shower running. Curiously, he went inside and his eyes narrowed almost instantly as he realized who was having a shower after a late night's workout. When his eyes met dark hazel ones, he couldn't help but head over to Daken and push him against the tiles.

"Always knew you liked it rough," Daken mocked him and smirked when he was pulled around, his back hitting the tiles this time and an arm being pressed against his throat. "Aww, Bucky, you're so cute being all worked up. Didn't Cap feel like it today?"

"Shut up, you fucking asshole!" Bucky roared and slammed Daken into the tiles to his left, only earning a laugh from the man.

"Really, you could have just told me, you know? I mean…I don't like it as rough as you obviously do, but I'm sure we could have worked something out," the feral mocked further, still amused about the man's violent reaction and feeling not a bit intimidated by him. He began spreading his pheromones to pull the man into the direction he wanted, confused him, toyed with him and turned the tables to his liking. Still smirking, he quickly grabbed Bucky's arms and pushed him against the tiles next, keeping the man's arms trapped above his head with one hand. Smiling, he leant in and kept his gleaming eyes on Bucky's shocked ones. He knew he had him exactly where he wanted him to be. "You're so calm all of a sudden," he scolded him playfully. "Are you suddenly getting shy?"

"L…let go…," Bucky demanded, confused about why he was feeling what he was feeling and with his heart hammering in his chest. He knew he was flushing since his cheeks were burning like fire.

"Aww, so you're really getting shy?" Daken cooed and moved in closer, not caring that he was completely naked. "Used to being the top, hm? And now little Bucky doesn't know what to do and is unsure of himself?" he mocked and cupped the man's cheek with his free hand, leaning in as if to kiss him just to come to a halt close to his opposite's lips. "You're cute being worked up so much…," he whispered and let go of Bucky's hands, laughing as the man fell to his knees first and couldn't get up fast enough to storm out of the showers.

Back in his room, he slammed the door quickly shut and locked it. He was shaking like a leaf, cold shivers running down his spine and he couldn't get as much air into his lungs as fast as they demanded it. His mind was still trying to process what the hell had happened in there and why he had reacted the way his body had.

"What the hell happened to you, you're soaking wet?" Cap suddenly said and Bucky startled.

He hadn't noticed that the other man had switched on the lamp and was staring at him, tiredly and completely confused.

"N…nothing," was all Bucky could stutter and pointed at the bathroom into which he quickly disappeared and wanted to stay locked in forever. He ran a hand over his sweaty face and looked down his body, his heart racing. He just hoped Cap hadn't seen it or he would have a hell lot to explain as soon as he came out of the bathroom again…

* * *

Logan squinted as cold wind blew straight into his sensitive eyes. They had landed the jet close to where Tony had come down and had since then been walking through the snow. He was leading, taking care of the front, while Jean was behind him, scanning the area and the rest followed suit. Up to know he couldn't sense any danger, only snow, rocks and he hoped Jean had chosen warm enough clothes. Worriedly, he looked at her.

"Don't worry, I block the cold with my teke," she assured him mentally and smiled, but suddenly came to a halt.

"What…?" Logan asked and she pointed to their right.

"I pick up on something…," Jean told him and led the group over to an edge that led down.

Logan held her back and gave her a sign that he would take a look, so he moved as close to the edge as he could, looked down and at another ledge far down below. He didn't have to squint to see the red and golden armor. "Kurt, he's there. Get'im up here!"

"Sure," Kurt nodded, teleported down, took hold of the armor and reappeared next to Logan again. He made room for Jean to let her examine Tony.

"Is he all right?" Clint asked and noticed that the armor was pretty damaged. He watched how Jean pulled the helmet carefully off with her powers.

"Was about damn time, sweetheart…," Tony whispered and coughed.

"You're alive?" Parker asked surprised and ran a hand through his hair. "Damn, we expected the worst."

"Are you in pain, Tony?" Jean asked and tried to feel his pulse but the armor was in the way.

"Headache…," he replied and closed his eyes for a moment.

"We need to get back to the jet. He's in the cold already for too long," Jean told Logan, who nodded and pulled Tony up.

"Yer heavy…," he grunted and had trouble walking in the high snow with the extra weight in his arms. When it was suddenly lifted off him, he knew whose doing it was and winked at his wife.

"How did he even survive? I thought you couldn't reach him?" Domino asked and joined Logan's side.

"I switched Jarvis off so that the battery lives long enough to heat the interior…," Tony mumbled. "I knew you couldn't live without me…."

"Don't get your hopes up too much!" Clint teased him and gave the armor a gentle double pat. "Glad you're still alive, man."

In the jet, Logan put Tony carefully down and moved over to the pilot's seat, while Clint and Parker began to try to peel Tony out of the damaged armor. When they were nearly back at Genosha, they gave up. "I think you've got to wait. The screws are too damaged…"

"Don't worry. I'm comfy…," Tony smiled tiredly. He felt the soft motion of the jet's landing and opened his eyes a bit just to see how Logan pulled him back up. "No…"

"No what?" the feral grunted.

"I don't want you to carry me over the threshold…," Tony muttered and closed his eyes again. His head felt like exploding.

"Well, live with it!" Logan shrugged and followed Jean to the next best room. "Reed should be able to open that thing…," he suggested after he had dropped Tony on a table.

"Already told him," the redhead said. "I get changed and prepare the med bay," she announced and left the room.

It didn't take long for Reed to enter and tend to Tony. "I'm glad to see you're still alive," he said while working on the suit. "But I think I'll have to hurt you some…"

Tony snorted and coughed. "As if you won't enjoy that…," he whispered and gritted his teeth, a long groan escaping him each time Reed pulled pieces of the armor off.

"Done. How about less screws for the next suit?" Reed asked and threw the last screws into the bin next to him. He gave the man a quick look over, saw bruises but nothing that would have concerned him. He just hoped that he was right.

About an hour later and several checkups, Hank came to a halt next to Tony's bed and gave the papers in his hand a quick look over. "You really had all guardian angels on your side, Tony…"

"Well, they love me…," Tony shrugged and smiled at Jean when she adjusted the bandage on his shoulder. "Isn't that right, beautiful?"

"Whatever you say, Tony," the redhead replied and went over to the basin to wash her hands.

"Nevertheless, I want you to stay in bed for the rest of the week. A concussion is not funny. Besides, it will give your right leg and shoulder time to heal," Hank told him and put the papers aside.

"One week?" Tony gasped and groaned.

"Yes, one week. If I catch you getting up, I'll restrain you!" Hank warned him and Tony could tell that the man meant it. "Besides, someone specific will spank you anyway," he added and gave Jean a nod to let Pepper inside.

The woman instantly went over to the bed and gave the rather pale man in it a look over. She had wanted to stay strong, had wanted to keep a straight face but seeing him again after believing that he was gone made her just cry.

"Pepper…," Tony sighed and pulled on her arm with his good one to pull her down to him. "Please stop!"

"We thought you were dead!" she sobbed into his chest and both didn't notice how Jean and Hank left the room.

"I'm not, see? I'm not that easy to kill," he tried to cheer her up but received a sad glare. "I'm okay. Flying on cloud 10 thanks to all those drugs, but I'm okay!" he assured her and reached out to wipe her tears away, a move that made her utter another sob. "Pepper…"

"Would you mind keeping it down? People are trying to sleep her!" a deep voice grumbled from his left and he realized he hadn't noticed the man in the second bed nor the two eyes of the third man glaring at him.

"I'm sorry we interrupted your beauty sleep!" he mocked Daken, who shot him another glare and tried to get comfortable in the stool again.

"It's not funny, Tony. You could have died!" Pepper suddenly said in a very small voice and he looked back at her. She was now sitting on the bed and looking at their entwined hands. "They said you tried to protect the jet…"

"I'd rather call it a…failed distraction…," he replied and sank back into the covers, eyes staring at her. He would never admit it but he had been scared like never before. After coming by and realizing that he was lying in the snow somewhere in the mountains, alone, not knowing if they had already come looking for him or not… He had switched of the battery after waiting for a call to save the energy, knew that heating the interior was more important than anything else at that moment… Hell, he had even eaten snow after getting thirsty… But waiting and watching how a day went by and no one was coming for him didn't help to push his fear away. He had become delusional for a moment due to his headache, had believed that Pepper was there, thought that he was dying and whoever that angel was that had come to claim him had taken her face. It was then that he realized that he had wasted so much time, so much precious time with her… "Pepper?" he heard himself asking and his eyes were still gluing on hers when she looked back up, eyes still glistening of unshed tears and relief. "I'm done wasting time…"

She frowned at that. "What do you mean, Tony?"

"What I said… That I'm done wasting time," he repeated. "I already wasted too much of it…"

"Good for you…," he heard Daken grumbling, who was still unhappy of his sleep being interrupted, but chose to ignore him.

Instead he took Pepper's hand into both of his, the heart rate monitor speeding up significantly. "Pepper…"

"Tony, are you not feeling well? I can get Jean or…," she began after being startled by the beeping, but he shook his head.

"I'm fine, listen…," he said and made her look at him. "As soon as I'm patched up… I want us to go to the next best…"

"Are you sure?" she asked since even she could tell that the heart rate was way too fast to be normal and pointed at the screen to his left.

"Potts, would you let me finish my sentence before I lose the courage?" Tony asked more demanding and she gave him a surprised look. "Pepper, will you…"

"You really don't look well, Tony!" she interrupted him once more and touched his face. "You've got a fever! I'll go and get Jean!"

He tried stopping her but failed to grab her arm and watched her heading for the door; knowing that it was now or never, he heard himself blurting out. "Will you marry me?"

Raising his head, Daken frowned at Tony first, then his eyes darted to Pepper, who had frozen on the spot. What was so hard in letting him sleep? Since she wasn't moving and had only turned to stare at Tony in complete shock and the man himself wasn't moving an inch, he heaved a deep breath and squeezed the back of his nose. , was all his mind demanded. In the end, it was roughly 3 something at night. "Say yes, go over kiss, hug, make out, be happy, sleep!" he instructed her and yawned.

"Would the back row finally shut up?" Tony asked him sourly and, after turning back, he noticed that Pepper still stared at him like a deer caught up in headlights. "Pepper…" He was about to crack a joke and tell her to forget it, when she came over, eyes and face completely serious.

"Why all of a sudden?" was all she could ask and he would have shrugged, if it wasn't for Jean's phenomenal way of restraining an injured shoulder.

"As I said… Done wasting time…," he replied and swallowed hard, the heart rate completely forgotten.

"Why?"

He sighed and gave Daken another annoyed look. "Could you go outside for a minute?"

"No," came the reply he had reckoned with. "I can still hear you from the outside anyway and I was here first."

"Prissy little princess!" Tony mocked him.

"Well, I like being daddy's little princess," Daken mocked back in a childish voice.

"I'm sure you do!"

"Tony?" Pepper sighed and brought him back to their topic. "Why?"

"Because…," he began and was at a loss of words. He knew Daken would never let him hear the end of it. "…because I thought I was dying… And I realized that…I had nothing and…" He was nervously chewing on his bottom lip and couldn't look at her. "…and I…said to myself that…if I survive this, I'd stop wasting time…" He looked up when there was no reply and knew he had shocked her. "I know I screwed up last time, Pepper. I know that I am the most unreliable person…"

"You're not unreliable, Tony, you just have serious problems to stick to set dates…," she corrected him.

"Whatever you want to call it, Potts," he said. "But lying there, thinking that's it… I realize that…I don't really have anything," he added and went quickly on before she was able to interrupt him. "I'm a genius, I can build any weapon I want, I have more money than I could ever spend… But take that away and I don't have shit. The others have a family, I don't. Because I wasted time, because I thought that there's enough time to establish one, but there isn't! Not with what's going on. It can be over every day and I want you to be taken care of in case something happens to me."

She sighed and nodded. "So you want to marry me only because…"

"No!" Tony quickly said. "I want to marry you because I love you! Because I want to be with you and you to be with me. And I want us to stop wasting so much time on pretending that we are just friends, because we aren't!" He looked at her hopefully.

"Could you finally say yes, please?" Daken sighed and his head nearly rested on the bed after his arm had supported it the whole time though. "I don't feel like drowning in a lake of drool…"

"Could you finally shut up?" Tony snapped at him, ignoring his pounding head for a moment and was surprised when he was suddenly pulled into a kiss and careful hug from the redhead. "Is that a yes?" he mumbled into her shoulder after a moment and wondered why she was sniffing. "Potts?"

"If you screw this up, Mr. Stark!" she warned him after sitting back up straight and poking into his chest, "Then I swear…"

Chuckling, he pulled her back against him and held her close as good as he could. "Then you can kill me with your bare hands," he promised and heaved a happy sigh.

"I must be crazy…," Pepper mumbled into his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat.

"Me, too…," Tony agreed and began to realize what he had actually said. "Did I really ask you to marry me?"

"You won't back out now!" she warned him and noticed the playful, but tired gleam in his eyes.

"Well, I hope the soon-to-be-Mrs-Stark knows that I want a genius baby, too!" he teased her and pulled her into another gentle kiss. "You know…those genius genes have to be passed on! It's not fair that Logan has one of those…"

"You look tired, Tony. You should sleep," Pepper said in concern and cupped his cheek.

"Stay here."

"You sure?"

"Hey, I have to make sure you won't run off, right?" he teased her and smiled when she slipped off her shoes and went under the sheets with him.

"I won't run off," she assured him and took his hand.

"Good to know that…"

"God, I can't believe I'm about to do this…," Pepper cried after a moment of silence and covered her face with her hands. "Marrying you… I must be insane…"

"To cut it short, yes, you are, great that we discussed it, now shut…the hell….up!" Daken sighed completely annoyed by now. When there was no reply, he looked up and realized both of them had fallen asleep. "Finally…," he huffed and shifted on the stool once more.

* * *

He was awoken by someone's babbling and someone else poking constantly into his arm. He swore it was going to leave a bruise… "Dios… What…?" he mumbled and turned his head just to bury it back into something warm.

"Julio? You should see this!"

"No, Star, I should sleep…," Rictor muttered but raised his head anyway, his hair a complete mess. "Why are you watching TV again?" he cried since he'd been happy that he had been able to distract his friend from the TV up to now. That man was married to it to a point where Rictor was convinced it was some kind of compulsive behavior. "Star…," he groaned and sat up, his hand running through his hair.

"Look!" Shatterstar said and pointed at the screen where a reporter was talking about some explosion.

"Yeah, a Sentinel facility was blown up, so what?" Rictor asked, rubbing his eyes but froze in his movements as realization set in. "Madre de Dios!" he gasped and grabbed the remote to raise the volume. He didn't look up as some of the other groups entered the room, nor as he was pulled into a warming hug by his friend.

"This cunning devil…," Reed huffed and crossed his arms.

"Who do you mean?" Sue asked him while hugging his waist.

"Tony did this. He planted a bomb on that Sentinel, knowing that it would fly back to base… That guy really is completely nuts!" Reed shook his head.

"You don't need to tell us…," Hawkeye mumbled while his eyes were glued on the television. According to the reporter no one knew how the facility has been blown up. "They'll take revenge…"

"They don't know where we are!" Parker disagreed and frowned when his team mate gave him a grim look.

"Not on us, Pete! On innocent people," Clint explained and sighed. "Well…at least one facility down…"

"And lots more to go…" Johnny Storm reminded him sarcastically. He turned his head when his stomach grumbled. "Is breakfast ready? Who's on duty? I'm starving!"

"I think it's us…," Rictor cursed and tried to entangle his limbs from Shatterstar's, who had pulled him between his legs at some point. "C'mon, amigo."

In their room, Logan was cuddling with Jean and occupied kissing and nuzzling her neck when he picked up on the television in the living room. He tilted his head a bit in order to be able to listen in.

"What's the matter?" the redhead asked and stroked through his hair, placing a kiss to the side of his lips.

"A Sentinel facility was blown up. Reed said it was Tony's doin'…," he told her and earned a surprised look. Waiting a moment, he shrugged in the end and rolled them over, kissing her again. "Hm…"

"What?" Jean smiled and embraced him.

"I think we really need t'use that secret room again…," he grumbled into her neck, nibbling on it.

"I agree," she nodded and looked back at him when he raised his head. "May I make a suggestion?" she asked and stroked down his chest.

He chuckled and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Which is?"

"Shower!"

"Shower?" he smirked and pointed behind him at the door behind which the children were still sleeping. He chuckled when she bit her lip lasciviously.

"Locked door, drowned out noises…," Jean said and returned the grin he was giving her. "Thank God I'm a teke and telepath, hm?"

"Oh, yeah," Logan agreed and pulled her with him to the bathroom, where she locked the door with her powers while he got quickly rid of her clothes and his briefs. Still grinning, he entered the shower after her and immediately began to kiss her hungrily. By now he missed their old rooms, the opportunities they had always had, the alone time… But his thoughts were forgotten the moment she pressed against him and he lifted her up.

* * *

Xavier narrowed his eyes when Erik chuckled and sipped on his tea with a shake of his head. "Mind to explain what it so funny, Erik?" he asked rather sourly and the master of magnetism waved off.

"You ad our continuing search for hope," Erik replied and his face became serious. "You see it everywhere, don't you? No matter how messed up a situation is…"

"It would be sad, if I hadn't any," Charles countered and made his opposite huff.

"One of your former students is a killer now. The only thing you should consider is how to take him out!" Magneto seethed. "Before he'll endanger us all!"

"This is out of question, Erik!" Charles disagreed. "Apocalypse did the same to Logan way back and we managed to free him from the control. I will try the same with Warren."

"Of course… How foolish of me to assume you would ever get your hands dirty," Magneto said and crossed his arms. "Well, at least Summers finally understood it, am I right?" he asked and got up to leave the room, knowing full well that Charles would follow him.

"Scott is going through a difficult time. He lost everything in that attack!"

"And he knows what it takes to make himself feel better about it," Erik mocked. "Unlike you and your holy path of no violence." He came to a halt and smirked. "But this is so you, Charles. Always hope, always making things better by talking… Then why don't you fly over to our enemies, sit down and have a tea with them while talking about world peace? I'm sure they would listen, aren't you?" With another glare, he was about to turn around as he noticed who was already standing behind him, glaring back in return.

"Need help, Professor?"

"It's all right, Logan!" Charles tried to soothe the man and earned another smirk from Erik.

"Where is his collar that's attached to your invisible leash?" the man mocked and jostled Logan out of his way by using his powers.

"Fuckin' son of a…," this one growled and clenched his fists.

Charles sighed. "He is just frustrated with the whole situation."

"Well we all are!" Logan replied and put his hands to his pockets. "Especially with bein' here…," he added grumbling and watched the Professor wheeling down the corridor, telling him that he still had work to do. "Whatever…," he shrugged and stretched just to feel two arms being wrapped around his middle. He sighed. "Dom…"

"You showered? Without me?" she smiled and traced his stomach with one finger, surprised that he stepped back. "Back then you would have asked me to join."

"Yeah…back then," he nodded and buried his hand in his jean's pockets again, then trotted to the kitchen.

"So, when do we hook up now that we finally met each other again? You made yourself scarce in the past years. Been busy?" she asked and he glanced at her briefly.

"Ya can say that…"

"And?"

"'n what?" Logan grunted, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Us, hooking up, when?" Dominio repeated.

"Dom, listen…," Logan began as something caught her attention behind him. Before he could ask, she had pushed him aside and stomped into the kitchen, eyes furious. Not knowing what was going on, he followed her and one look was enough to figure it out. "Dom…"

"What is this son of a bitch doing here?" she demanded to know, pointing at no other than Daken, who was giving her an ice cold glare in return.

"I'd be careful in what kind of way you address my mother, bitch!" he seethed.

"Oh shut up, you lying piece of shit!" she snapped at him and pointed at him in front of everyone before she addressed Logan. "Do you have any idea who that bastard is?"

"Actually…," Logan began but she went on with her rant.

"What's he doing here?"

"Having breakfast. Something you should be able to figure out your own," Daken replied in an icy voice and cleaned his mouth with a napkin. "Considering your limited brain capacities…I'm not surprised you didn't."

"Watch your mouth, you psychotic piece of…," she began as Jean entered the room.

"What's going on this time?" she asked and wondered if they could ever have a meal without people being on each other's throats. She looked to and fro between Daken and Domino, both still seizing each other up for coffins. "I assume they have met before?"

"So it seems…," Logan sighed.

"Are all of you completely insane to have him here?" the black haired woman asked into the round. "Do you have any idea what kind of psycho he is?" she added and her eyes came to a halt on Logan. "Do you?"

"I don't know whether or not you are capable of noticing…," Daken began in his always present mocking tone, got up and never took his eyes of her. "…but you are annoying the hell out of everyone here. At least you ruined my morning with your mere existence."

"Come over here and I gladly put you down," Dom snapped and made him huff.

"You need to get laid, seriously," Daken replied. "I'd offer but I'm afraid of catching something. Besides….I don't do brainless cunts and you weren't that good anway!"

"Akihiro, it's enough!" Logan intervened and got between the two of them. "Both of you!" he quickly added when he heard Domino taking a deep breath.

"Do you even know who this psycho is?" she demanded to know of him.

"He's my son, so yeah, I do!" Logan snapped but calmed down when Jean touched his shoulder.

"He's…," Domino began in a mocking way until she noticed Logan's serious look and Daken's winner-smirk, this shit-eating douchbag smirk of his she absolutely couldn't stand. "You are kidding, right?"

"No, he's not," Daken sing-songed and his smirk widened. "Surprised? Well, of course you are."

"Please, tell me you _are _kidding, Logan…," Domino pleaded but Logan's face remained the same. "Oh my God…," she made and had to support herself. Her eyes looked to and fro between both men, looked for any resemblance but couldn't find any. "Are you sure?"

"Very…," Daken said, hugging Logan with one arm and rested his chin on his father's shoulder. He enjoyed every bit of this moment. "Would you rather sit down? You look kind of…pale," he mocked her and chuckled when she actually did it.

"You were drunk that day, right? Or on drugs?" she asked hopefully.

"Hate to disappoint you, splodge-eye, but I am a pure lovechild. Unlike you, as I assume," Daken smirked arrogantly and let go of Logan. "If you'll excuse me, I would like to keep breakfast inside and seeing you doesn't really help." He shrugged when Logan gave him a warning look and frowned when Jean gave him a mental message next. Surprise became evident in his eyes for less than a second and he turned around to leave for good.

"Logan… Do you have an idea, any idea _who_ he is?" Domino asked, still not believing what she had just learned. "That guy is a psycho! Of the worst kind!"

Sighing, the feral sat down and grabbed a pancake. "He's changed!" was all he had to say before he began to eat, fully aware of her eyes being on him.

"He will never change. He the best actor that would even put DeNiro to shame," she told him and crossed her arms, looking sour. "Why don't you ask Fury what he has on him? I bet you'll be surprised…"

Logan sighed and dropped his fork. "Look," he began and his eyes made clear that he was sick of hearing it, "I've met his darker side, I know what he's capable of, alright? When was the last time ya actually saw him? Two years ago? Three years ago?"

"A year ago," Dom said.

"Fine, a year ago then," Logan shrugged. "He's with us since last summer 'n he's changed t'a great deal."

That made her laugh. "Of course. He does everything to make you believe whatever he wants. He can be such a sweet angel and in the next moment he stabs you in the back. If I were you, I'd be careful!" she warned him but he huffed. "As I said…he's such a great actor," she added and minded her own breakfast.

In the meantime, Daken had reached the med bay again and heaved a deep breath b head before he entered the room. He came to a brief halt when a head turned and two blue, but tired looking eyes met him, a weak, barely noticeable smile becoming visible on the man's face.

"I see that Jean told you?" Hank said without looking up from the chart in his hand, his other one scribbling notes on it.

Moving forward, the feral came to a halt next to the bed and gave the speedster a look over. "Finally up?" he asked, making his voice sound as neutral as he could.

"Hm…," Jean-Paul made and reached out to take his hand. He hissed as Hank used a lamp to check on his eyes and closed them, as if he was in pain. "Too bright…"

"I'm sorry but I need to check up on your reflexes," the furry mutant said and began to draw blood next, then disappeared in the next room.

"What happened?" Jean-Paul asked Daken after minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"What do you mean?" the feral asked and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Sighing, the speedster closed his eyes for a moment. "How did I end up here? Why are you here?" he asked, voice weak.

Frowning, Daken just looked at him for a moment. "You don't remember?" he noticed and the question came out as a fact.

"No…"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Thinking hard, Jean-Paul kept his eyes on the white sheets, his mind hurting. "I don't know… They said…you were gone… I tried to call you…" He paused and gave Daken a look. "Obviously, this worked out…," he noticed just to stare at the sheets again. "I don't know… Why are you here?" he asked once more and gave him a look. "What happened?"

Unsure of what to tell him, Daken reached out to tuck him further in. "You should rest."

"What date is today?" Jean-Paul asked instead and stared at Daken in shock as he told him. "March 18?" he asked, completely shocked and narrowed his eyes while thinking hard. "That's four and a half weeks… I'm lacking more than four weeks…," he muttered and gave his bandaged body another look, then touched his head and suddenly feeling angry. It wasn't before a hand touched his cheek that he looked up.

"You'll figure out. You need to rest," Daken said and pushed him gently back into the sheets. "I'll come back later," he added and was about to get up when a hand touched his wrists.

"Stay here, please," Jean-Paul muttered and gave the door behind which Hank had disappeared a look. "Being alone with him makes me feel….edgy…"

Furrowing his brows, Daken shrugged in the end and sat back down on the edge, his back leaning against the pillow behind him. "Sleep," he ordered and wasn't surprised when he found the speedster's head in his lap in the next moment.

* * *

The next days he spent his time watching the speedster. Something was off, that was neither a secret to him or the others. The moment he was finally allowed to rest in his own room, he stayed in it, refused to go out alone, refused to be alone at the same time. Somehow he was always on edge, scared of whatever demon was with the in the room and Daken didn't understand, couldn't understand. The first time they wanted to attend breakfast in the kitchen had him at the fridge and the speedster glued to the door, eyes constantly looking to and fro between the group. When he had finally asked what was wrong, Jean-Paul had wanted to eat somewhere else, 'alone', as he had put, which meant 'where no one else can sneak up behind me'. Because that's, as Daken figured, was one problem. When Narya had found out that her best friend was back in his old room, she had visited and instantly hugged and kissed him. But unlike the old times, the speedster had pushed her away, startled and had backed off next, had brushed it off as being in thoughts and hadn't heard her coming. The next encounter had happened in the bathroom. Since Hank wanted Jean-Paul to wear the knee and shoulder brace for at least another week, Daken needed to help him with getting dressed and cleaned up. Sitting down in the bath was out of option, so they had entered the shower, Daken with one arm wrapped around the speedster until this one had found a steady position. Nevertheless, as soon as the water had begun to drip on the Jean-Paul's face, the man had freaked out.

So when Daken returned with a cup of warm tea and found the speedster still wrapped in towels curled up on the bed, he sighed and sat down next to him. Of course the man was staring off into nothingness again and only mildly reacting when he touched his hand. With a nod at the steaming cup, the feral suggested he drank some tea, not feeling like talking either. In the end, he didn't know what to say anyway. So he remained next to the speedster and watched him, waiting for another unpredictable outburst…

* * *

Confused, Logan watched how his eldest left the room without another word. Up to now everything had been rather normal. Under the current circumstances that is. He had woken up, had a shower with Jean, played for a while with the kids in the snow, had a training session with some of the others, had actually talked to his son for a while and he had appeared to be in a rather good mood. Now this. Sometimes he really wanted to know how his son's mind worked. The Professor had told him that Daken's mind was complex and difficult to read, that he was suffering from a disorder didn't make the situation any easier for him, but he really wished that he could get through to him somehow. Looking at Northstar, he figured that the speedster, despite looking extremely tired, was worried, too. "What's wrong with him today?" he asked more to himself that anything.

"I was out cold for nearly five weeks, Logan, how am I supposed to know?" Jean-Paul snapped and turned back around after he had stared at the door. "Did something happen that I should know about? I mean besides all of the things no one wants to tell me?" he asked into the round but didn't receive a reply. Not that it surprised him. No one was telling him anything… "Did anyone talk to him while I was out cold or was he by himself in the past three weeks?"

"He was mostly sitting next to you and reading a book," Hank informed him. "He wasn't really talkative in the past weeks and mostly stuck to himself. And if he was asked something, he was his usual bitchy self." He began to frown when the speedster gave him a rather dark look. "We can't force him to spend time with us, Jean-Paul!"

"Did anyone of you even bother to ask him to spend time with you? He's getting depressed when he doesn't get attention, Hank. He can cause havoc if it's getting too bad and he feels mistreated," the Canadian told him and was about to retrieve his crutches from his right when Daken reappeared to wordlessly dispose of his plate and glass. When he was on his way back to the door the speedster quickly grabbed his hand and made him stop. One look into the feral's eyes was enough for him to understand what was going on and he pulled him gently between his legs, one hand stroking through the feral's soft hair. "Bad day?" Jean-Paul asked him in a calm and tired voice and received a barely noticeable nod. "Figured that much… Me, too," he said and caressed Daken's cheek for a moment. "You look damn tired, baby. Let's go to bed, okay?" he suggested and let go of the feral's hand. He watched him leaving and waited a moment before he took his crutches, got up and turned to look at Logan. "Is it still okay that Kazu stays with you?"

"Sure," Logan said and watched how Jean-Paul explained the situation to the boy before he wished him a good night and told him to listen to his grandpa. "Will ya be fine?" he asked and received a shrug.

"I know what he's like on his bad days, but… We'll see…," Jean-Paul muttered.

"You should really try to convince him to talk to Charles," Jean suggested.

"He can't stand people, Jean. He doesn't care about them," he replied and limped over to the door. "And as long as that's the case he won't talk about anything."

"Maybe he'll talk to you…"

"He won't. That's part of his disorder. He is never wrong, he doesn't need help, it's other people that do. The Professor already told me that even if he agrees on a therapy, changes to help him are so low that it's practically useless. And besides…I'm not a therapist. I can't help him. Only try to do damage control," he said regretfully before he gave them a rather sour look. "Besides…no one is telling me anything either, right?"

"What kinda disorder is he talkin' about 'n why don't I know about it?" Logan grunted after the speedster had left and looked at Jean first, who shook her head, before his eyes met Charles. "Chuck?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, yet, Logan," the bald man replied and sighed. "I told you that I am analyzing your son constantly because I want to find a way to help him. And I was sure that there was no way he didn't take any mental damage from what has been done to him." He saw how Logan cocked an impatient eyebrow at him. "I'm sorry to say this but I am convinced that he has narcissistic personality disorder."

"Which means?" Logan demanded to know and could tell that it didn't mean anything good when Jean, Hank and Moira nearly sighed in sync.

"It's one of the three most difficult personality disorders to treat, Logan. And nearly impossible to cure it. Those who suffer from it take even the slightest critique personally and see it as humiliation. They are incapable to understand that the problem lies with them and not with all others around them", Charles explained. "They are incapable to feel, lack empathy completely and think they are without any faults. They see themselves as absolutely flawless and need attention and approval. Anyone else is below them and no matter what the narcissist does wrong, it's never his fault. His universe consists of him alone, others don't matter because he isn't capable to understand that others have needs, too," Charles went on. "The sad aspect is that those persons are mostly empty shells. They have no real self, only a reflection which is an act."

"What do you mean with that?" Kitty asked, frowning.

"I mean that…they see themselves as this great, flawless, lovable person. They created a shadow and think they are this shadow. But in fact they don't have a self. They were never able to create a self that they can love, don't know who they are or think of themselves as loathsome. They are so terrible afraid of being rejected and excluded from others that they act as their shadow. Because people can love their shadow since it's perfect. Their occupation is to project this loveable reflection of themselves on others. The more successful they are with it, the more they become this shadow," he explained to her and could tell that everyone was listening intently. "So basically, Daken's arrogance and superior behavior is him dealing with the feeling that we reject him. To a narcissist being not loved and accepted is depressing and humiliating. So as a reaction they either lash out or sulk. It's also common that they attack others verbally to inflict hurt in them. He is not capable to understand that we are beings with feelings, that we also have needs or problems. He regards himself as more important and is not interested in us."

"But how do you want to integrate someone like him?" Cap asked. "We can't always focus on him as soon as he feels the need for attention."

Charles looked into the round for a while and kept silent. He hadn't noticed that Logan has gotten up and was now standing at the window, arms crossed and eyes full of fury. "That's the problem, Steven," he went on. "Despite his reflection, the way he sees himself, he has a completely submissive, depressed and empty interior. If it was possible to strip his vicious and fake nature away, there would be nothing left. He'd be completely lost because he doesn't know who he is. That's why he needs this shadow of himself to be able to function." He sighed and shook his head. "Emotionally, he's on the level of a toddler. Only he is important, no one else. It's his needs only that need to be tended to and even when this is being done, he's extremely depressed and fundamentally dissatisfied."

"And he's like that because of the abuse?" Kitty asked.

Charles shook his head. "I think not only the abuse he suffered plays a role in this, Kitty," he replied. "It started way before Romulus got his hands on him, but still he also plays a significant role in Akihiro's development. A narcissist concentrates on himself only because he is the only person he can rely on. He will never leave, he will never stop loving himself. He gave up on trusting others and believing that others could ever love him for who he really is. My guess is that Akihiro's foster parents never or rarely showed affection and he felt unloved or abandoned. Maybe they only rewarded him with affection when he did something right and punished him with ignorance when this was not the case. I don't know. But a child needs an adult for guidance. If a child is not able to have this important connection, this safe-house and is left alone in this world, it can not develop in a healthy way. The child learns to side-step relationships in order to prevent being hurt and abandoned. It's a mean of protecting itself from pain. So they grow up learning that the only person reliable is themselves. They stop trusting people. They love themselves because this love can not hurt them or abandon them."

"But how come he sticks to JP so much then? I mean he is rarely ever seen without him," Scott said and crossed his arms.

Charles smiled. "Usually, a narcissist needs people to be able to feel that he exists. He charms them into doing things for him, he needs them for attention, for his own entertainment. People are only instruments for him that he uses until they bore him. To him everyone is disposable and he takes from his partners only, since he can't give. No matter if the partner loves him, he can't love back. If he's not getting attention he does everything to get it, even if it means humiliating and hurting the partner."

"Sounds to me as if you use JP as bait, Charles. Bait to keep Daken calm," Scott said but Charles shook his head.

"I said _usually_, Scott. Usually, a narcissist doesn't feel anything for the partner. He only uses him as an object, like a leech. But when it comes to Akihiro's relationship to Jean-Paul, I'm confused. His behavior to him often is completely unusual for someone who suffers from this disorder. Akihiro knows that he can easily find someone else. He knows he can manipulate anyone of us into taking Jean-Paul's place. So the fact that he protects him, rescues him and cares for him… It just doesn't fit."

"It's the sex. Definitely," Tony shrugged but the Professor shook his head.

"Trust me, Tony, it's not. I talked to Jean-Paul because I had the same impression and he told me that Akihiro is not interested in sex at all."

Bobby and the Thing nearly choked on their drinks. "Are you kidding, Professor?" Bobby asked. "He always flirts with anyone and acts as if he wants to get into our pants!"

"Yes, he does this to get attention and a rise out of you. It's his way to entertain himself and to get confirmation that people notice him," Charles said. "Or to punish you for annoying and ignoring him. Because ignorance and critique is unacceptable for someone with this disorder. Some of them can even become homicidal just to get back at someone, who has hurt their feelings. I think we can consider ourselves lucky that the only things he does are either ignoring us, trying to get a rise out of us or humiliating us. It could be far, far worse! But personally, Akihiro doesn't feel any attraction to other people. Neither to women or men. He doesn't care about them and only gets close to them when he needs something."

"But how can he not be interested in it? I mean Jean-Paul is someone who needs to be close to people so much. He craves it," Narya said. "He'd be never able to be with someone that can't give him that!"

"That's the point that confuses me, Narya," Charles replied. "That is the only point that doesn't make sense when it comes to his disorder. He should see Jean-Paul as a tool, an object that gives him what he needs, something that he can get rid off whenever he gets bored and has enough. The fact that he protects him, that he allows him to be that close to him and even cares for him, gives me hope that I can help him somehow even though this disorder can't be cured. I don't know what Jean-Paul does but he somehow manages to keep Akihiro controlled. And the fact that this one allows him to do it… It actually gives me hope," Charles said and heaved a deep breath before he looked back into the round. "So as you see…he can't help being the way he is. He doesn't understand us and on an emotional level, he lacks what is needed to grasp our feelings for real. When he acts like a child it is because of his disorder and because it's normal for him to react this way."

Suddenly, Logan turned around and gave him a grim look, the fury still visible in his eyes. "This doesn't add up!"

"What, Logan?"

"He broke completely down twice! 'n we have enhanced senses. We can read all of you easily!" Logan grunted and cocked an eyebrow when Charles nodded.

"And he uses this knowledge to manipulate people into what suits him best. Just because he can categorize what others feel doesn't mean he understands those feelings or cares. Because he doesn't," the bald man explained. "And his breakdown back then can either mean that it was a narcissistic rage, which is very common for this disorder, or that there are by now far more chunks in his armor than he can take. As I said, I don't know what Jean-Paul does to get through to him so much, but that fact that he can and that your son listens to him and allows him to reason with him…" He shook his head. "Usually, narcissists don't do it because they think of themselves as always right, as perfect. What saddens me in all of this is that Akihiro is in fact his shadow. He's highly intelligent, he can be so charming and could easily make real friends anywhere. But deep down inside, Logan, your son is so traumatized and terrified of being left again...and thinks that people could never love him… His behavior is his way of protecting himself and curing him is just not possible."

"Ya could alter his mind… Ya could make him forget all the shit he went through and give him a blank state t's start over… Ya could give him a chance…"

"I told you that his mind has been broken and put back together so many times that it's nearly impossible to do any altering without risking to fry his brain. I could easily kill him," Charles said sourly. "And besides…he would live a lie. There's no guarantee, Logan, that your son will feel any better afterwards, that he would be…normal… He would still carry his fears inside and he would try to find out where those fears come from. You know best, Logan! It's a huge difference to alter the mind of a child like Laura or to do this with a 42 year old man. The risks are too great!" he explained. "Besides…I'm having an eye on both of them anyway. I'm afraid Jean-Paul suffered from a psychological trauma and I don't think your son knows how to handle this."

"So does that actually mean we have two traumatized time bombs here that can go off any moment?" Bucky asked and huffed. "Fabolous…"

In their room Daken was busy to get out of his shirt which he folded neatly and put it over the backrest of the stool to his right. His eyes darted to the door and he watched how the speedster dropped the crutches next to the bed, then tried to get out of his shirt with the use of his good arm. Not thinking twice about it, Daken went over and helped him. "Need help in the bathroom?" he asked.

Jean-Paul gave it a brief look. "I'll try… But I'll leave the door open," he replied and gave him a weak smile while his hand touched Daken's bare chest.

When he heard the water running, Daken turned back and noticed the paper on the bedside table. He frowned and took it into his hands. "Is that your paper, precious?" he called.

"No," came the reply and Daken's frown deepened.

He gave the front a look, figured that it was one of those Utopia papers he had seen in New York, then turn towards the back and his eyes came to a halt at a specific picture, then switched to the headline. _WANTED James Buchanan Barnes aka Winter Soldier_. His eyes looked back at the man on the picture and he thought his heart would stop. The whole time through, the whole time through he had been right under his nose, here with him… The paper fell out of his hands and landed on the floor. If Bucky was Winter Soldier, Daken thought, then… He slammed the door shut behind him as this uncontrollable fury led him right to the kitchen. His eyes zoomed instantly in on the man that was busy looking for a drink in the fridge and he went over.

Bucky had barely looked up as a set of claws suddenly rammed right through his shoulder and made him howl in pain. He barely registered how Hawkeye, Parker and Colossus tried to get the furious feral off him, only saw how a pair of claws barely missed his chest next. When Logan had finally restrained his son, he came to his senses. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Bucky barked at Daken, whose eyes were still fixed on him in rage. He looked up when Hank put a cloth against his bleeding shoulder and still tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

"You're dead, you hear me?" Daken hissed and fought against his father's iron grip on him. "I'll make you suffer as you made her. I'll cut your fucking skin off and make you eat it, you son of a bitch!" he seethed.

"Akihiro…," Charles tried to get through to the furious man. "What happened?"

"Let go off me, you fucking asshole!" Daken barked and moved so quickly that Logan had to let go.

"Are you fuckin' mental?" the older feral snapped and frowned when his son glared at him full of hatred all of a sudden. "What's gotten into ya?" he asked in a more controlled voice.

Daken gave a bitter laugh. "Still putting up this show, aren't you, Logan?" he mocked and earned an even more confused frown.

"What show?" Logan demanded to know and looked aside when Jean-Paul entered.

"I'm done with you. I'm done with your lies, with your fucking acts!" Daken snapped and Jean stepped forward to create a psychic wall between Logan and his son when the latter's eyes darkened significantly. "You knew. You fucking knew it was him, all the time…"

Logan gave Bucky, who was still being treated and who was watching the whole scene from the back, a confused look. "What are ya talkin' about?" he asked but his son huffed, a distorted, almost demonic grin becoming visible on his face.

"Yes, go on playing innocent, go on giving me the _if-would_-shit that you are so perfect in," Daken nodded and his muscles shook with fury. "You are a fucking piece of shit, Logan! But what else to expect from an animal like you, right?"

Confused, Jean-Paul looked at him and then Logan. "What's wrong?" he asked Daken in a calm voice and considered reaching out. To his surprise Daken actually looked at him.

"Why don't you asked this asshole here?" he said with a nod at his father, who could only shrug. He then turned to Bucky again. "If I were you, I'd watch my back."

"Or what?" Bucky snapped at him. "You're mental!"

Smirking, Daken licked his lips. "Oh, I have never seen so clear in my life," he said and looked at the Avengers that were standing like bodyguards next to their teammate. "Hiding behind them won't do. I'll kill each one of them until I reach you," he promised Bucky in a voice that made the man's hair stand up. "And then you'll wish you were never born. I'm excellent at torture, you know? I can keep you alive for days…and cause you pain you've never experienced before. And I will…I can assure you that. You'll suffer as much as _she_ did…" With a last murderous glare at him, he left the room again, leaving the rest of the group to stare at each other.

"Your son is mental!" Bucky said, even though his heart was racing in every inch of his body. The look, the voice, the threats…the feral had meant them, every tiny bit…

"I told you, Logan…," Domino spoke up. "That was your son's true face. He's a sadist, a complete psycho!"

"What has gotten into him?" Kitty asked and looked at her husband and friends. "I have never seen him like this before…"

"Get used to it, kiddo. That's who he truly is," Domino smiled sarcastically.

Logan, who had stared at Jean for a while and still tried to figure out what the hell had just happened, gave Northstar a look who was still focusing on Bucky. "What the hell happened in yer room?" he demanded to know.

"I was in the bathroom, he was in the bedroom," the speedster shrugged and supported himself on the table, his mind still working. "He …found some paper…" He frowned at you. "It mentioned you."

"Me?" Bucky asked, confused.

"Winter Soldier… That's you, isn't it?" Northstar asked as Logan suddenly let out strangled noise.

"What's the matter?" Jean asked him and picked easily up on the change of mood in him. "Logan?" she asked and pulled the hands from his face.

"He knows…," was everything he said and he didn't even hear himself saying it.

"He knows what?" Scott asked and looked at Bucky, who seemed to be as confused as all of them.

Logan's piercing eyes came to a halt on Bucky. "He knows it was ya who shot his mother when she was still pregnant with him…"

**I'm sorry for the long wait but as I said, it's my final year of college and I have 4 written and 4 oral exams coming up. I will still stick to my promised schedule. ; ) This chapter was another b**ch to write and I had a major writer's block, so I am not really satisfied with it. I will try to put up a better chapter next time. Thanks to all of you, who left a review! I hope you had great Christmas and New Year's holidays! : ) I was lucky enough to get sick on New Year's Eve. Lol Anyway, the next update will be mid April! Take care!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**HAPPY BIRTHDAY **** to Andromeda Jones and Joy Howlett. I managed to update for your birthdays. : ) In case anyone else had birthday or has birthday today: Happy (belated) Birthday to you, too. ; )**

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**NEXT UPDATE:**** end of June / beginning of July**

**Thanks to all the reviewers!**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 11**

Everyone was so silent that you could have been able to hear a needle falling or grass growing. While Logan gave Bucky a look and his mind went through all the scenarios that included his son and the Avenger, the man stared back at him, mouth slightly open and brows furrowed.

"I…did what?" Bucky finally asked and thought he hadn't heard right.

"Japan 1975," Logan began and crossed his arms. "Ya were hired by Romulus 'n shot my wife, who happened t'be 8 months pregnant with my son."

"No, I didn't!" Bucky instantly said and shook his head, the pain in his shoulder forgotten.

"Ya did. Ya just can't remember," Logan said and looked at Charles.

"It's true unfortunately," the bald man confirmed and met Bucky's eyes. "You shot Daken's mother on Romulus' behalf."

"I don't even know this…Romulus!" Bucky defended himself. "I'd do a lot but I'd never ever shoot a pregnant woman, except she was a suicide bomber and was about to blow herself up in a crowd of people."

"Yes, but still you did it," Charles replied. "You were mind controlled and can't remember it happening. But unfortunately, it did happen." He sighed. "And I believe this circumstance will proof…difficult…"

"In what way?" Cap asked.

"Because this psycho is dangerous as hell," Domino huffed. "If I were you, I'd start writing my last will. You will need it." She looked back at Logan, whose face was grim as ever, but also noticed the speedster staring at him in utter disbelief.

"You knew?" Jean-Paul finally asked and still couldn't believe what he had just learned.

"Yeah…," Logan grunted and looked away.

"And you didn't tell him because…?"

"He wouldn't understand," Logan said and finally met the speedster's angry eyes.

"I don't think that's for you to decide, is it?" Northstar asked arrogantly and huffed. "Unbelievable…"

"What's it to you anyway, pretty boy?" Domino asked and received an angry glare.

"Am I talking to you or are you part of this conversation? I don't think so!" he snapped.

"Woah, woah, woah," Johnny Storms said and raised his hands. "Guys, chill!"

"Well, are you?" she challenged the speedster and crossed her arms. "I didn't hear you being part of the problem."

He chuckled and gave her an arrogant, but angry smirk. "I'm more part of the problem, missy, than you will ever be. So how about you shut your trap and let us talk?"

She smiled. "Jeez, he really rubs off on you, doesn't he? You're obviously too blinded by his looks to notice who he really is. Sad fool…"

"I know him better than anyone else in this room," he replied and made her nod.

"Sure. Just wait until he suddenly cuts your throat or puts poison into your drink," Domino shrugged. "Oh, or suffocates you with a bag, he did this, too, you know? You're just a tool to him, the earlier you'll understand, the better."

He watched her, the smile still visible on his lips. "You really can't stand it that he doesn't give a shit about you but he gives one about me, hm?" Northstar asked and turned back to Logan before she could say something else. "How could you not tell him?" he demanded to know and gritted his teeth. "You know how much his mother means to him! How much he longs for her and that she is a sensitive topic to him. So how could you betray him like this?" Hearing how someone behind him was about to say something, he turned to give her a warning glare. "Shut up!"

"Excuse me, who are you to tell me…," Domino began, angered and slammed her hands on the table while getting up, but he had already turned back to Logan.

"You say you love him, you say you want him to be part of your family and then you backstab him like this?" he asked, still not believing it. "Do you even know what this does to him? To learn that someone, his father from all people, knew that his mother's murderer was right under his nose for weeks?"

"I did not murder…," Bucky began but was silenced by a glare.

"You pulled the trigger, didn't you?" Northstar asked. "You might have been controlled, he won't care. It was you who pulled the trigger, it was you who shot his mother and made his life hell."

"Oh please… Don't give me this _he had a hard childhood_ crap…," Domino mumbled and startled when he was suddenly standing opposite of her at the table, his eyes furious.

"Have you been physically, mentally and sexually abused for over three decades by your own grandfather and given the feeling that you're not worth anything and that people will never give a damn about you?" he nearly barked at her. "I doubt it!" Angrily, he took his crutches that had been leaning against the table and gave Logan another glare. "You shattered the bit of trust he managed to build up for you, I hope you know that! You just taught him that people really are not worth it. Thank you very much!" he told him before he left the room.

James exchanged a look with Heather and Narya. "I haven't seen him being that angry in months…"

"He's rubbing off on him…," Daredevil said nonchalantly.

"No, Jean-Paul can get this angry actually very easily. I'm surprised he didn't punch you, Logan," James said. "Usually, he gets physical if he's that angry…"

"It was over the top," Bobby replied.

"Was it?" Narya asked him. "If someone hurt Jubilee, you would react the same way."

"That's different," he muttered and crossed his arms.

"Is it?" Jubilee asked him.

"Yeah. I love you, I'm your husband, so it's different," he said self-assured and made her huff. "What?"

"You…are so blind, Bobby…," Kitty said and shook her head in disbelief.

"They are two guys, Kitty…," he groaned.

"Oh, so two guys can't love each other?" Rictor asked him, sounding pissed off.

"That's not how I meant it…," Bobby replied and looked away.

"Sounded awfully like it!" the other man snapped.

The room fell silent afterwards and some of them began to feel rather uncomfortable. "I…understand him…," Johnny suddenly said and received a cocked eyebrow from Logan. "I mean… If my mother was murdered and I'd find out that my father knew the murderer and never told me… I'd go mental on you."

"Are you suddenly playing for the other team or what's wrong with you?" the Thing asked him and received an annoyed look. "You are just showing sympathy for this…freak…"

"Ben…," Logan growled at the word _freak_ being used for his son.

"Sorry, I meant this…psychological handicapped person…," Ben corrected himself.

"I don't think he's that bad," Johnny replied to everyone's greatest surprise. "He's actually quiet funny and has a great taste." He rolled his eyes when Ben gave him a look over and backed away a little.

"So…that's why you are constantly checking him out, huh?" he mocked his teammate. "You could have told us. I'll be more careful with the soap in the shower from now on."

Johnny made a shocked, sarcastic gasp. "No! You actually shower? Really? I thought stone always stinks…"

"Guys, stop!" Reed intervened before they would be at each other's throats again.

Not knowing what he could say and feeling uncomfortable in the room Logan turned around and left. He headed straight for his room and sat down on the bed first, his mind occupied with too many thoughts at once that he became restless. He looked aside and decided to check up on his children, sat carefully down next to Jack and just watched him sleeping for a while. How often since he had found out that his eldest was still alive had he wondered what raising him would have felt like, which memories they would have made together, how he would have turned out, if Romulus had never gotten a hand on him… Itsu would have been a good and loving mother, he was sure of that. And he would have loved his son, protected him, taught him his values… Instead, he had a grown up son who already seemed to be so poisoned with hate that it felt impossible for him to reach him. He didn't know anything about his son that a father should know, didn't even know how to talk to him… By now he even wondered if he felt scared of him? He knew what Daken was capable of. One look into his son's eyes spoke volumes of what the man was capable of doing… Sighing, Logan reached out to tuck Jack back in and stroked through the boy's hair before he got back up and closed the door behind him. Even without his senses he would have been able to tell that Jean was waiting for him. Failing at smiling weakly at her, he sat down next to her and stared at the ground. "Just tell me I fucked up 'cause I know I did…," he grunted in a hushed voice and lowered his head.

"I think you had your reasons not to tell him," Jean shrugged and knelt down behind him to hug Logan from behind. "Considering how violently he reacted…I can imagine what those reasons might be."

Leaning back against her, he sighed. "I just don't know how t'talk t'him, Jeannie… No matter what I'd have said his reaction would've been the same…"

"I think you're right in this," she replied and stroked through his hair. "But maybe you should still try and explain your reasons to him tomorrow?" she suggested.

"I doubt he'd listen… He'll probably gut me the moment he sees me," Logan huffed and got out of his shirt and jeans to lie down in bed. Watching her doing the same, he pulled her into an embrace. "I didn't have a chance t'tell Domino, yet. Every time I try somethin' happens…"

"Well, I know she's no danger to me," Jean teased him and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. "Try to talk to him and explain yourself. You will never know if he might listen without trying!" Hearing him uttering another sigh, she kissed him again. "You know I'm right, baby."

"Yeah…," he nodded and blinked when she switched off the lights with her powers. "What would I do without ya…?"

"Being miserable, getting drunk, picking fights, brooding over everything that your eyes see, smoking way too m…"

"Yeah, yeah, I got, I got!" Logan quickly said and nuzzled her neck before he kissed it. "Love ya!"

"And me you," she replied and got into her usual sleeping position with her head on his chest and her arms around him. "And no brooding all night long. You know I'll notice!" Jean warned him while getting comfortable.

"I'll try…," Logan grunted and pulled her close, his hands drawing lazy circles on her back while he was staring at the ceiling.

* * *

When he entered the dark room he noticed the curled up figure on the bed that was illuminated by the light from the outside. The feral had hidden his head underneath one of the pillows and his legs were drawn up to his stomach; a sign that he was definitely not well. The speedster put his crutches to the ground and let himself awkwardly drop to his side of the bed. His eyes looked at the feral, who hadn't moves an inch and who only seemed to be alive because he was breathing. Unsure of what to do, he leant in a bit and contemplated about what to do. Should he touch him or not? Should he say something and if, what? In the end, he spooned Daken from behind and embraced him as good as he could with his still braced shoulder. To his surprise the feral turned into his direction and buried his face in Northstar's chest, as if he wanted to disappear in the man. Realizing that silence was the best for now, Jean-Paul just held him close and stroked through Daken's hair.

* * *

Cap's eyebrow began to twitch as he watched how Bucky was once more getting out of bed and checking the door, then the window, then he went into the bathroom to make sure that no one was in it, just to go back to his bed and made sure his gun was still loaded. It took merely two minutes and he was back to doing the same routine. "Would you finally lie back down?" he snapped at him and sat up. "Daken is not here. Tony installed an alarm at every possible entrance, so he can't get in without us noticing. So calm down!"

"How can you be so sure?" Buck snapped back and rubbed his arm nervously. "And he doesn't want to kill you, so you don't know how I feel. You haven't looked into his eyes!"

Cap sighed and rubbed his face. "Do you want to sleep in my bed and for me to hold your hand?" he mocked and shook his head. "The team is on alert, we'll protect you!"

Huffing, Bucky finally lay down. "You heard Fury… That guy is far more dangerous than Logan…"

"And we stopped Logan before, so we will stop his son, too," Cap tried to soothe him. "Besides Daken doesn't have adamantium, so he is far more vulnerable. And now sleep, please! It's already past 4 a.m…." he begged and tried to get comfortable again after he had switched off the lights. He knew that Bucky would be on high-alert for the rest of the night and that he couldn't change the man's mind.

* * *

"Honey, if you'll tense up even further you're muscles are going to burst!" Jean groaned while watching how Logan toweled himself off, his muscles so obviously standing out that she was actually expecting exactly that. When he gave her a brief look only, she finally had enough and went over to massage his back. "The night was calm, nothing happened, everything's fine!" the redhead tried to soothe him and placed a kiss on his shoulder, but he sighed heavily.

"Doesn't feel fine…," he grunted and put the towel over the bathtub before he got dressed and tried to tame his hair. Since he was doing it too hurriedly it looked messier than ever, which again angered him even the more.

Sighing, Jean slapped his hands away and tried her best to tame his mane. "You know, maybe you should just cut it again…," she suggested in thoughts and added, after noticing his warning glare, "It was just a thought…"

"A bad one!"

"One I like actually…"

"A VERY bad one!"

"Besides, you look hot with shorter hair and longer hair…," she paused to give his hair a look, "…and messy hair…anyway!"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Ya think so?"

"No, I just lied to you, baby!" Jean teased him back and squealed when she was suddenly wrapped in an embrace and he growled into her neck. But before she could kiss him someone knocked at the door so hard that she wondered it didn't tear out of its hinges.

"I need to PEE! Like NOW!" Jack yelled and banged at the door again.

"Shall we let him in?" Jean asked and opened the doors with her powers to let their son in, who ran over to the toilet and gave them an annoyed look.

"Mom?" he asked urgently and nodded at the door.

"I hate puberty!" Logan growled, grabbing his night wear and closed the door behind them. "I swear I wasn't like that!"

"I heard otherwise…," she mumbled and he cocked once more an eyebrow at her.

"Huh?"

"Nothing…," Jean shrugged and made the bed with her powers, noticing his look. "Well…Victor might have let some…things…slipped…"

"I'm so gonna kill him!" Logan grunted and crossed his arms. "Whatever he told ya, it ain't true!"

"Actually…it explained very much why you hate ducks so much, baby," Jean smiled and groaned when it was now Lily banging at the bathroom door. "For the hundredth time there's another bathroom right down the hall!" she told their children.

"But Jack's always using the bathroom while we have to use the public one. That's not fair!" Lily complained and sulked.

"Not fair!" Rachel and Laura nodded in agreement and made their mother sigh heavily.

Jean gave Logan a look but he shrugged. "Told ya I hate puberty. Let's lock'em in 'n release'em again after this is over…," he grunted but went over to the bathroom and looked inside.

"DAD!" Jack squealed in the shower.

"Hurry up or it's ya who's gonna use the bathroom down the hall for the rest of yer life!" Logan said and closed the door again, clearly annoyed by the fights that have become too common for their mornings. He missed their old home, with enough bathrooms and more importantly: a bedroom with a door that could be locked…

"Not only you…," he heard Jean agreeing in his mind and picked up Jamie to head for the kitchen. "Do me a favor, kiddo, don't hit puberty at all, okay?"

"M'kay…," his youngest nodded but was already distracted by Miloh and Callie, who demanded their breakfast.

Logan sighed. "I hate this mornin'… I really do…"

"Babysitting?" a familiar voice asked and he closed his eyes for a moment.

"No," he replied and entered the kitchen to place Jamie in a high chair.

"Of course not. I mean…you and kids," Domino winked and he wanted to groan when she began flirting openly with him again. Thinking that it was now or never, he cleared his throat, but she was quicker. "How about hooking up later?"

"Dom…," he began as Jean suddenly entered and pushed between him and Domino, just to kiss him hard.

"He's mine, you know?" she told Domino bluntly, eyes glowing fiery warningly, and flashed her two rings at her. "For quiet a while by now. So if you'll excuse us. We'd like to have breakfast with our kids. Isn't that right, honey?"

"Yeah…," Logan replied rather speechlessly and felt her psychic push towards the empty seats, not seeing the dumbfound look Domino was wearing on her face. But his shock was as quickly gone as it had come and he was smirking broadly.

She raised her eyebrow at him questioningly after she had sat down and had handed Jamie his breakfast.

"Yer hot when yer all possessive, darlin'," he told her mentally.

"Well, someone had to tell her in the end, isn't that right?" she replied and gave him a look that spoke volumes over her coffee mug.

"True…," he mumbled and reached for the pancakes when the rest of their children joined them. "Done fightin'?" he grumbled and heard a protesting a low _woof_ next to him. "Right, sorry…," he said and got up to prepare the food for Miloh and Callie, the latter jumping at him, trying to steal something. "Sit!" Logan warned her and carried the bowls over to where he was sitting with his family. "Where's the lil' snowball actually?" he asked into the round since the puppy was nowhere to be seen.

"Da petite belle is sittin' in front of yer son's door," Remy informed him while chewing on his breakfast.

"I'll go and get her, daddy!" Rachel announced and was gone before Logan could say something.

He looked up when Cap and his team entered the room, noticed that Bucky wasn't with him and could easy tell that the Avenger was tired as hell. When Rachel returned, the puppy in her two hands, he had to chuckle since the puppy struggled so much that his daughter nearly toppled over. "C'mere," he laughed and took the furball from her, noticing how Domino frowned at him from afar.

"Will they bite her, daddy?" Laura asked with a nod at Miloh and Callie who were both sniffing the air and watching the puppy intently.

"I hope not…," he grunted and put the little furball down on the ground but kept her close by in case the wolf or husky would start growling. But to his surprise Callie waved her tail and came closer to take a sniff, the cub sniffing back but whining from time to time. "She seems t'like her…" His eyes looked at the wolf that was definitely on alert and watching his mate interacting with the cub. When their eyes met he used his ability of communication with the wolf, which the rest of the room interpreted as a staring contest.

"So…what's this?" Tony asked, looking at Pepper first then Scott and waited for a reply.

"It's called communication," Jean enlightened him, smiling. "He possesses animal empathy and can communicate with them."

"Ah…," Tony nodded, frowning, but realized that the wolf was obviously responding somehow. "So, uhm….where is Bucky?" he asked Cap, who was pouring himself the third cup of black coffee.

"I hope still in bed, sleeping…," the blond mumbled and yawned. He looked aside when someone entered and frowned when no one was following as usual. "Where's he?"

"Sleeping?" Jean-Paul said and sat down on a free stool, crutches to his right.

"Are you _sure_ he's really sleeping?" Fury asked him, staring him down with one eye.

"Do you actually want details?" the speedster countered, not liking the fact that he was interrogated so early in the morning.

"Guys, can we stop this for once in the morning?" Scott asked in complete annoyance. "All I want is to have breakfast for once without people biting each others heads off!"

"Well said, my boy!" Erik nodded and sat down at the head of the long table as if he was the king himself.

Cocking an eyebrow at him, Logan only waiting for the master of magnetism to demand of them to get up and bow…

"Are you really sure he didn't fake his sleep?" Cap asked Jean-Paul once more and earned a deep sigh.

"Do you want my honest opinion?" he asked back and turned to face the man. "As furious as he was yesterday he could have just walked over to your room, kill whoever got into his way until he reached his target. Why? Because he can and you wouldn't be able to stop him. He _was_ asleep when I left the room! Maybe he has woken up by now because he tends to do so when I'm gone. Right?" He turned his head into Jean's direction and she nodded her confirmation, since Logan had the same habit. "Can I enjoy breakfast with my son now?" He watched how Cap exchanged a look with Tony, just to get up and head out of the room next. "He does realize that in case Hiro's planning something that he heard everything and is faster back in bed than Cap will reach the door?" he asked into the round with a shake of his head.

In the meantime Cap had reached the feral's room door and leant in to listen for any noises. Carefully, he opened the room door and peeked inside. The bed was unmade and empty but the shower was running. Somewhat relieved he closed the door again and went to his room to check up on Bucky. There, he also heard the water running and came to a halt in front of the bathroom door. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, fine," came the reply and Cap let out a relieved sigh.

"Okay, hurry up! We're having breakfast and you know Pete and his pancake addiction!" he said.

"Okay," Bucky replied and heard how Cap closed the room door behind himself.

"Good…," Daken whispered into his ear, holding him in an iron grip, his inner wrist claw poking into the man's throat. "And now you will leave the water running and go over to the window. Climb out of it. You won't try to run away or to call for help. I'm faster and you will suffer longer, understood?"

"Yeah…," Bucky muttered and moved along with him to the window, doing as he was told. His mind still hasn't processed what was actually happening. He had woken up in his bed, alone, had figured that Cap had already left for breakfast, then he had checked on the alarms and all of them were still active and intact. He had entered the bathroom, switched on the shower and was about to undress himself as he was suddenly grabbed from behind.

With shaking hands he climbed through the open window, still wondering how Daken had got in. Fury had been right. He was far more dangerous than Logan. Landing in the snow, his body immediately began to shake even heavier due to the cold. It didn't take long and Daken landed noiselessly next to him, nodding ahead.

"Move towards the cliff until I tell you to stop," Daken demanded, voice and eyes equally cold. While Bucky was walking ahead he followed him slowly, his senses fully aware of what the rest of the teams were doing.

"I swear I don't remember…," he heard Bucky saying.

"And I swear that I don't give a damn," he replied and focused on the man's inner turmoil. The Avenger's body was releasing tons of stress hormones, his muscles were stiff, he was shaking and his heart racing. He reeked of fear and was stuck in an agonal state. Daken enjoyed it. "That's far enough…," he said after they had reached the cliff, a cold breeze caressing them, blowing particles of snow around. Even though Daken was bare chested he didn't feel the cold in contrary to his opposite, who was shaking heavily due to his fear and the cold. "Get on your knees!"

"Listen…," Bucky begged and tried to buy time. "I swear to God that I would have never done this, if I was aware of it!" He had barely said it as he found himself face down in the snow. "You can't just kill me!"

"No?" Daken asked and went into a crouch next to him.

"No!" Bucky quickly said and covered his head when Daken reached out to grab it. "You can't tell me you don't care about the circumstances!"

Tilting his head, the feral looked straight back at him through unreadable eyes. "You are right. I don't care. Because in order to care you just have to feel just a little bit and I don't," Daken replied matter-of-factly and pulled Bucky's head back to expose his neck. "You shot my mother and left her to suffocate on her own blood. Instead of just killing her quickly you decided to aim for her lungs. She was still alive when he cut her open and pulled me out… And I've been waiting for this day for 42 years!" he told him in a low voice, eyes staring coldly into Bucky's. "You will suffer as much as she did. You will die slowly…very slowly…"

"They won't let you do that!" Bucky croaked and made Daken smile.

"Do you see them anywhere?" he asked back.

"Don't you think they will notice that I'm gone for too long?" the Avenger tried and made the feral laugh this time.

"You shower every day for eight minutes and it takes you twenty in total to appear in the kitchen. We're gone for merely five minutes and fourteen seconds. They won't miss you that quickly." He glared at him for a moment. "I'm not sure, yet… Cutting your throat or puncturing your lungs? Which one will it be?" he thought out loud.

"If you do this…," Bucky said, his voice shaking, "…they'll be done with you! They will never ever accept you and even Logan won't be able to save you!"

Sighing playfully, Daken patted Bucky's cheek. "That won't happen and do you know why? Because they already don't accept me. So I don't care about it either."

"What about your boyfriend? Don't care about him either?" Bucky snapped but held his breath when his hair was grabbed hard and Daken's right wrist-claw shot out.

"I think I'll puncture your lungs…," the feral hissed. "Then you'll know what she felt like…"

"You won't get away with this!" Bucky trembled but his heart skipped another beat as he was awarded with a demonic, cold smile.

* * *

"I'm not sure, yet, but it's possible that he's a link to Trask and by getting close to Trask we might find out more about this Bastion," Scott told the round after the children had run off to go playing and most of Magneto's team had left.

"But ya ain't sure!" Logan grunted.

"No, I'm not…"

Logan looked at the face of the man and held it towards Jean when she was leaning in to have a look, too. "So, a pretty face who might be linked t'Trask… What's yer plan?"

"From what Tony could find out that guy has a club in New York. He should be there later today," Scott explained and heard Logan uttering a snort. "What?"

"_Not sure_, _it's possible, should_… Ya have no clue!" Logan said and Scott crossed his arms. "We can't keep on sending teams in without being _sure_!"

"Do you have a better idea, Logan?"

"He's right, Scott," Jean intervened. "Assuming something won't do anymore. We have to be sure. The whole east of the States are in Apocalypse's hands, we are his most wanted, so we can't just go there and try our luck."

Scott sighed. "Then come up with something better, Jean, how about that?" he said sourly.

"Be careful how ya talk t'my wife, One-Eye!" Logan warned him. "I won't send my team in just because of a good guess."

"_Your_ team?"

"Yeah, _my_ team!" he said and crossed his arms, too. "In case ya forgot I'm the leader."

Scott smirked. "Well, how about our _leader_ would finally do some work and not just sit around?" he asked and didn't care that Logan's eyes instantly narrowed to slits, whereas Jean gave him a sour look.

"How about we go back to actually discussing our next steps?" Cap asked to prevent an upcoming fight. "What do we have on…?" he began as Logan's head suddenly jerked aside. "What…?"

"Shh!" the feral made and got off his stool, concentrating on something.

About to ask again, Cap was surprised when Logan aimed for the backdoor. "Damn, it's him!" he figured and got up as fast as he could with his still bandaged wounds. Following Logan, he soon saw two figures up ahead and could easily tell that it was Bucky, who was trying to fight Daken off in vain. "Let him go!" he barked but the feral had long heard them coming and pulled Bucky roughly up to use him as a living shield.

"Stay where you are!" Daken growled warningly and pressed his inner wrist claw even closer to Bucky's exposed throat. His eyes were narrowed to slits and there was no doubt left that one false move would make him stab the Avenger for good.

"Okay, fine…," Cap said, both hands raised and gave the group behind him a sign to step back. "Just…lower you claw and let us talk, all right?"

The feral huffed. "Talk? I'm not here to talk," he replied arrogantly and cold, his face a blank mask and completely deprived of emotions. "In fact, there's no need for anyone of you to be here."

"How about needing _this_?" Domino hissed and pointed her gun in Daken's face, who merely smirked and grabbed Bucky more violently.

"For fuck's sake, do as he says!" the man barked as he felt the tip of the claw piercing his skin. By now his heart was beating so rapidly that he was convinced the others were able to hear it. There was no way they weren't able to, in the end even he could hear his blood roaring in his ears and his pulse pumping blood in every part of his body. He knew Daken was dead-serious in killing him and making him bleed out. He would do it, there was no way he wouldn't, even if someone was able to stop him now, his death was still inevitable and just postponed. He couldn't see what the rest was doing, but since Daken hadn't pressed in the claw further, he guessed that Domino and the rest had stepped further back.

"Good girl," the feral behind him seethed. "And if you now moved back to where you originally came from, I'd be even happier!"

"Listen…," Bucky heard Tony saying, "…you are angry, you want revenge, every one of us can understand that…"

"You think you are able to understand me?"

"Well,…yeah…?" Tony said in surprised and exchanged a confused look with his group. "Why not?"

Huffing, Daken said, "I doubt you possess the mental capacities, that's why." He frowned when Cap suddenly gave the order to leave, but his confusion soon turned into a knowing smile. "Well, at least the Professor has them, right?" He waited for them to be gone before, didn't care that Cap and Tony remained close by and turned his attention once more to his victim. "So…where were we again? Ah, yes, right… Making you slowly bleed out."

Before Bucky was able to say anything he received a hard kick against the back of his knees and landed on said once. Roughly, his head was pulled back and he was not only forced to expose his neck, but also to look into the coldest eyes he had ever seen. Paralyzed with fear, he tried once more to free his tied hands. "I don't remember!" was all he could spill out but Daken merely smirked.

"Good for you. I remember too well," he replied and narrowed his eyes. "Tell me something… Since you were so kind to only mortally wound her instead of killing her directly… Did she beg for you to help her? Did she scream for help? Or did you just watch her drowning in her own blood?" he seethed and his eyes darkened in fury as he thought about it.

Bucky shook his head, swallowing hard. "I swear…I didn't do that on my own accord!"

"Well, good for you. Just too bad that I don't give a shit," Daken shrugged coldly and pulled the man's head further back. "But you will have enough time to start remembering…while you can watch yourself bleed out like she had to!" he threatened and was about to cut as his arm was suddenly grabbed. Gritting his teeth, he looked aside. "Of course he sent you…," he said and looked back at Northstar, who had been dropped off next to him by Pietro, but had no intention of stopping. "Go away!"

"No!"

"Fine, then watch!" he shrugged and went to proceed but his arms was grabbed once more.

"It won't change anything!" Jean-Paul told him and Daken huffed,

"It will. He'll get what he deserves!"

"And then what?" his opposite challenged. "It won't bring her back, Hiro. No matter what you do!"

"As if I didn't know," Daken mocked and tore his arm away. He glared back, his teeth gritted and heaved very deep breaths. "It needs to be done and neither you nor anyone here understands why!"

"Try me!"

Daken snarled and tightened his grip on Bucky's neck so much that the man gasped. "42 years ago he shot my mother, but instead of killing her directly, something that would have been easy for a skilled sniper like him, he made her suffer and drown in her own blood. She died slowly and was still alive when they cut me out of her and that…," he seethed, "…is an act that can't be forgiven, an act that must be avenged in the most brutal way possible!"

Looking back at him for a while, Northstar nodded. "I agree…," he said and made Cap and Tony frown. "I know what it's like, Hiro. I know what growing up without parents feels like. Mine died during a car crash when my twin sister and I were still infants. We've been in the car when it happend and God knows, if my parents didn't suffer. I know what being lonely and bullied feels like, too. I also always wondered how my life would have turned out, if they had survived. It's a scar that runs deep and will never heal," he told him and shook his head. "But you will never know. All I can tell you is that it won't make you feel better. That it won't change anything. Not for you, not for your life…"

"Oh, and you would know, huh?" Daken mocked and was surprised when Northstar nodded.

"My sister caught a bullet for me, remember? I watched her die in my arms. And despite what Heather, James or Narya believed or said I wanted revenge. So I went after the shooter, determined to do the same to him," Jean-Paul replied and sighed. "All I needed to do was pull the trigger when he was in front of me, but seeing his little son made me realize something…"

"What? That you only had one bullet?" Daken asked arrogantly, still holding Bucky in a tight grip.

"No. That by shooting my sister's murderer, I'd take away the boy's father… So it would have been for him to suffer in the end. And he is the last one who should be punished for a father like this, right?" he asked and Daken shrugged.

"And you're telling me that because?" he asked bored.

"That he will suffer way more living out his life by knowing what he did. And besides…," Jean-Paul said and dared to come a bit closer, "…you know that he tells the truth by saying that he doesn't remember. It's not him you want, Hiro! It's Romulus. But because you can't reach him, you go after the easiest target."

"Doesn't change the fact that he shot her!" Daken snapped.

"No, but you of all people know Romulus' ways of manipulation, don't you? Bucky is as much a victim of this than you and don't you realize that Romulus uses him to distract you from your real enemy?" Northstar asked, which made Daken frown. Reaching carefully out, he put his hand on the feral's arm. "I know you want to avenge her. I know how much you love and miss her, how much you long for her. But this won't bring her back, no matter how much you wish for it, Hiro," he said and, pulled Daken's hand off Bucky, who quickly robbed away and was pulled up and away by Cap and Tony.

"That was close…," Tony whispered.

"No shit!" Bucky snapped, still breathing way too fast and looked up at him with wet eyes. "Shit!" he cursed and tried to get his shaking body back under control after he was in safety. For now.

"You all right?" Cap asked and cupped his partner's face with both hands to have a look at the man's throat. "He's bleeding, Jean!"

"Let me see," the redhead said and took a look at the wound. "It's only a cut, nothing serious. I'll disinfect and dress it. I'll also give you something that will help you to calm down." Letting go of Bucky's wrist after checking up on the man's way too fast pulse, she began her work but not without looking at the two men at the cliff from time to time. Daken's cursed "Fuck!" had been loud enough for all of them to hear and she could clearly see that he was now kneeling with his back to Northstar on the ground. "Don't you want to go over and talk to him?" she asked Logan, who stood next to her, arms folded and was silently watching his son.

He shook his head. "He won't talk t'me…"

"You don't know that, Logan," Ororo replied but he huffed.

"I do…," he grunted and watched how Northstar was done waiting and knelt down next to his son.

"You did the right thing…," the speedster tried to soothe his friend and contemplated reaching out.

"He'd have deserved it!" he heard Daken growl through gritted teeth and felt the man's body shaking underneath his hands.

"Maybe. But it's not for us to judge," Northstar replied and became worried when he actually noticed how cold Daken's skin was by now. "You need to get warmed up. You're freezing cold, Hiro…"

The feral huffed and slapped the hand closest to him away. "Who gives a fuck?" he asked the man next to him and breathed hard. "If I decided to jump down that cliff, they would cheer me on or even give me the last push."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Jean-Paul said and held out his hand to help the feral up. He began to frown when Daken simply stared at him, eyes unreadable even to him.

"Want to test it?" the man suddenly asked after getting up and stepped towards the edge.

"What's he doing?" Scott asked, frowning and noticed how Logan was about to tell Kurt something, when Northstar pulled Daken roughly back towards him.

"Stop this shit!" the speedster cursed and gave the feral an angry look, but this one only smirked while looking at the group that hadn't moved an inch in the back.

"Told you so. No one gives a damn. Always been the case…"

Sighing, Jean-Paul shook his head but he was no fool. He had noticed the look in the feral's eyes and knew the man was deadly serious with being upset. Every time he refused to look back at him was a clear sign that he was elsewhere with his mind. "Hiro…?" he asked and reached out since the feral kept his back towards him and refused to turn around. "What's the matter?" Instead of a reply, he heard him huffing and saw him shaking his head. "What's wrong?"

"You think you have me figured out, huh?" he heard Daken muttering and noticed him clenching his fists from time to time. "That you know how I _feel_ here? Among _them_?" He nodded into the direction of the others. "Do you want to know what I pick up from them every day as soon as I enter a room or they see me?" Daken asked and stopped only inches away from Northstar's face. "They hate me, they loathe me, even my goddamn father is afraid of me and no matter if I play nice, if I help them, if I actually try getting along with them, they won't accept me. They will _never_ accept me!" he hissed through gritted teeth.

"You don't know that!" Jean-Paul sighed.

"I do… Because compared to you I can read their emotions," Daken replied and glared at the group. "To them I am a virus that they would love to get rid of, something nasty they caught, trash they can't throw out and it's always been like that, no matter where I went, no matter who I met, no matter what I do and it will never change!" He paused briefly, eyes getting weary while looking at the ocean. "I'm just not worth it…," he muttered to himself in thoughts and recalled that it was exactly what Romulus had always told him during all the punishments he had endured from the man. He was not worth anything and no one would ever give a damn about him, he was as alone in this world as he had always been and that would never change. Not now, not ever. Romulus should have just killed him and get it over with. His eyes widened in surprised as he was suddenly pulled into a long kiss, even more so when his neck was gently cupped and two blue eyes looked back at him.

"If you weren't worth it, I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't bother spending time with you and I sure as hell wouldn't have pulled you away from the cliff!" Northstar said, determination audible in his voice. "You're worth far more than you think, Hiro. Just because that asshole told you otherwise over and over again, doesn't mean it's true! You've got so goddamn much to be proud of for fuck's sake!" he cursed and wanted to punch his opposite when this one simply shook his head and looked away again. Muttering curses in French under his breath, he pulled him towards the group, past them and stopped in front of the mirror in their room, forcing Daken to look into it. "You are highly intelligent, you're fluent in dozens of languages, you're so skilled, you know more than anyone I could think of and that's already something you can be damn proud of!" he told him angrily but recognized the look in the feral's eyes immediately. Sighing, he hugged him with one arm from behind and rested his head on Daken's shoulder so that both of them were now looking into the mirror at the same time. "You are so unbelievable beautiful, Hiro…," he spoke softly and leant his head against Daken's while looking at him through the mirror. "I've seen you smiling for real once and it was the most blinding smile I've ever seen. I swear you don't have to rely on putting up an act, your pheromone control or hiding behind your faked-self. You can have anyone you want and I swear they'd beg you for your attention! If you aren't proud of that then I really don't know what else is left. But I know one thing for sure and that is that you're everything _but_ worthless!" He waited for a reaction while looking at the feral, who sighed, looked briefly away and shrugged in the end. He knew he had him. "See? Wasn't that hard now, was it?" he asked and kissed his cheek and leant his head back against Daken's. "You know what I really regret?" he asked after a while.

"That I didn't kill him?" Daken grunted and looked back at him.

"Non! That we don't have pictures of us," the speedster replied and smirked, leaning further in. "Because we really look damn hot together." Hearing Daken uttering a snort while looking down, he took notice of the smile the man tried to hide. "That's the one I mean," he said, smiling, too. "Damné beau sourire, mon mignon…"

"Kawaiikunai!" Daken grumbled in his native tongue and gave him a playful glare, noticing for the first time that Logan stood in the doorway. Instantly, his eyes narrowed to slits. "What?"

"Just wanted t'see, if yer alright…," Logan shrugged and felt clearly uncomfortable.

"As you can see, I am. So get lo…," Daken began as he received a slap against the ribs from Northstar, who gave him a look that spoke volumes and left the room afterwards. Remaining where he was, Daken crossed his arms over his still bare chest and glowered at his father, who didn't know what to do and scratched the back of his head. "So?"

"I know I should have told ya…"

"Yes, you should have. But I am not surprised you didn't," Daken mocked and turned around to pull a shirt out of the drawer behind him. "In the end, you have your nice little family now, don't you?" he asked and pulled the shirt over his head. "So why care about a dead wife and a son you don't know? You have your pretty wife, your cute little children, so why care about something that is in the past?" He was surprised to find Logan standing right behind him when he turned back around.

"Because yer my son 'n I love ya. 'n because thinkin' about yer mom hurts too damn much," the older feral said and looked at his son, who tried to hide his surprise. "'n I wanna get t'know ya more than anythin' else. If ya let me that is…," he added carefully and contemplated about what to do. "Ah, what the hell," he muttered and pulled his eldest into a hug. He waited a moment before he said "I only want us t'get along, t'get t'know each other… But only if ya let me…Ya have no idea how glad I am t'have ya back."

Daken, who was using his abilities to analyze his father's feeling and figured that he spoke the truth, thought about how to react. In the end, he wasn't used to this, had still problems with reacting to people being nice to him. Still, he carefully reached out and hugged his father back, but lightly.

"There's a mission comin' up, so…I'd be happy, if we sat down 'n talked afterwards…," Logan said after letting go again and received a brief nod. Nodding back in return, he walked back towards the door but came to a halt and recalled what he had seen before. "'n yer boyfriend's right," he grunted, receiving a confused look from his son. "Kimi no hohoemi ga utsukushii da. Ya look so much like yer mother when ya smile. She had the same blindin' smile." Looking at him once more, he left the room and walked back down the corridor. He came past the living room just to hear Northstar and Hank talking.

"You can't be serious!" the speedster cried and looked up at the furry mutant in front of him

"I'm sorry, but Jean and I analyzed your latest x-rays and your fractures are not completely healed, yet," Hank apologized with a shrug and heard the man sighing impatiently. "To be honest I am not surprised. In the end, you leg was badly fractured… Just be patient, Jean-Paul!"

"I'm an athlete and speedster, Hank. Being unable to run and move properly is like telling a snail to hurry up…"

"It's not like you're growing fat…," Hank mumbled and received a deathly glare. "I am sorry! We'll make another x-ray in about two weeks. Don't put weight on your knee and that means be careful in bed, too!"

Realizing that Logan was leaning against the doorframe, Jean-Paul flushed crimson red. "Why don't you write an ad for a newspaper, Hank, or even better tell Jubilee…?" he asked through clenched teeth and sank deeper into the couch.

"Huh?" the furry mutant asked and looked up, seeing how Logan cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh, hi, Logan. I was just telling your son-in-law here that…"

"…that he needs t'be careful during sex. I think everyone heard, Furball," Logan grunted and smirked when he heard the stifled cry behind the couch. Shaking his head, he turned back around and went on his daily stroll through Magneto's home to make sure the master of magnetism wasn't planning anything. And most of all: that he was staying far, far away from his family…

* * *

"Why do they always have to use this packaging? It's unhandy," Jean-Paul cursed while he lay on the black chaise lounge chair and tried to open the Ben&Jerry's with one hand only. "Who's supposed to open this thing?"

"People with two hands, sweetness," Daken sighed and went over to him to open the lid for him.

"I hate being restricted like this…," the other man sulked since his knee and shoulder were still in the braces that he wanted to shoot to the moon by now. It made it impossible for him to use his arm and he was everything but _not _left-handed. He waited for Daken to hand the ice crème and spoon back to him but the man frowned at him. "What?" he asked, confused and his frown deepened as the feral straddled his hips and began feeding him. "What's wrong with you being all social?" he asked skeptically and enjoyed the cool crème in his mouth.

"Did you intend to hold the cup with your groin and damage something, precious?" Daken asked nonchalantly and held another spoonful up. "How can you eat this anyway?" he asked disgustedly and thought his teeth would die the moment the sweet scent reached his nose.

"It's tasty!" Jean-Paul defended his ice crème and took another spoonful.

"I know something better than this…," the feral grunted.

"Mhm, me, too," the speedster replied and smirked at him.

On the couches next to them, the girls watched both men flirting with each other intently. Jubilee held back a happy hysterical giggle, whereas Domino rolled her eyes and Moira's face became crimson red. "So cuuute!" Jubilee squealed into the pillow she was hugging, knew at least Daken had heard her and was surprised that he didn't flipped her off like he usually did.  
"Yes, such an amazing actor…," Domino agreed and crossed her arms with a shake of her head. "If feel sorry for that guy, really…"

"How about you mind your own business, splodge-eye?" Daken muttered and brought himself to actually taste the ice crème, pulling a face when the sweetness hit his tongue and even more so as some of it dripped on his chin and chest. "Dis…gusting…," he shuddered and watched how Northstar wiped the crème off of his chest, licking it of his fingers, before he put his hand to Daken's neck and pulled him close to lick it off the feral's chin.

"I like it," the speedster said and used his chance to place a kiss to the man's lips. When he looked up again and noticed the predatory look in the feral's eyes, his breath caught. Nevertheless, they were interrupted by Scott who entered the room and held a picture into the feral's face.

"Know him?"

"Sure," Daken replied with a shrug and gave him a questioning look.

"Do you think you can get close to him without him getting suspicious?" Scott crossed his arms.

"Didn't Logan say we need to gather more information first?" Ororo asked and entered the room. "We can't just fly over to New York, Scott!"

"He's in that club and we need the information!"

"Does Logan know?" Kitty demanded to know but he didn't reply to that.

"We'll leave in ten minutes. Since you know him dress up in a way so that he'll notice you. We'll wait in the hangar!" Scott said and turned to leave.

"I think that answers your question…," Ororo told Kitty, who nodded. "Logan doesn't know which means Scott is once more doing a thing on his own," she told Daken, who put the empty pot away and licked the spoon clean. "If I were you, I wouldn't go."

"She's right," Jean-Paul agreed and took his hand but recognized the look. He sighed. "Be careful…"

"Mhm…," the feral made and got up to get changed.

"I don't have a good feeling with this…," Ororo said.

"Me neither…," the speedster replied.

"Does anyone know where Logan is?" she asked and got up.

"I'll help you looking for him," Kitty said and they left together.

It wasn't before twenty minutes had passed that they found him and Jean coming out of a room together, obviously very satisfied with each other, and they could explain the whole situation to him. Angered, he jogged off to the commando room and tried to contact the jet but Scott, who knew it could only be him, chose to ignore it.

"What can you tell me about him?" he asked over his shoulder instead and made Daken look up.

"Arrogant, in love with himself, hates his father, attention whore…," the feral listed and made Remy huff.

"Sounds like you, non?" the Cajun asked and received a glare.

"I'm prettier and I've got a much better taste for fashion, so don't insult me!" Daken snapped and looked back out of the small window to his right. "Besides we can't just go in there altogether. I'll go first, you follow a few minutes later. Don't draw any attention. That guy is like a rabbit…"

"Don't worry about that. Remy and I will go in with you, Pete and Kurt will stay with the jet," Scott said and looked for a good place to land. "They definitely tightened security…," he cursed and aimed for the Hudson River.

After the stealth had been activated the group split and Scott led the group towards the club. He noticed that Daken's eyes were constantly on him. "What?"

"It's really….secretive, you know? A guy with sunglasses at night and another guy with black eyes and red pupils… Especially when our enemies are looking for us," the feral mocked and gave them a sign to wait. "Follow me in about three minutes," was all he said before he disappeared and gave the security at the entrance of the club his best smile and a full load of pheromones to make them let him in.

"Remy still don't like him…," the Cajun said and followed Scott after the three minutes were nearly over.

"Can't help it, he's our only chance right now," Scott replied after they were in and his jaw dropped. "Do you see this?"

"Oui…," Remy nodded and watched how Daken was in the middle of the dance floor, practically dancing with every single person and couple around him as if he did it on a daily basis. "'e calls dat dancin'? Remy calls dat dry 'umpin'…," he commented and followed Scott towards a dark corner.

"He can dance, you've got to give him that…," this one mumbled and began to look for their target.

"'e's dere!" Remy suddenly said and pointed at the upper level of the club. There, in a separated and by two security men protected area, sat their target in the middle of some women that rather looked like cheap hookers, and few men. "'ow old are dey? Fourteen?" the Cajun huffed since the boys were definitely looking too young.

Scott looked at them for a moment, feeling a little nervous. His eyes switched back to Daken, who had still a large group gathered around him and was swaying with them in beat with the music. "He can pass for early twenties…"

"Too old for dat guy…," Remy muttered and crossed his arms. "'e likes dem young…"

Scott sighed and muttered a curse under his breath as he looked back up to the upper level. Their target had moved closer to the glass window and was looking down, right at the spot where Daken was now holding a beautiful blonde in his left and a handsome guy in his right arm, dancing with them. Or rather…putting up an erotic show. "He took notice of him," he said towards Remy, who was looking at their target. Scott whistled. "You've got to admit…he's hunk…"

Remy cocked an eyebrow at him. "Switching sides, mon ami?"

Scott huffed. "No. But he got the attention of the whole room. Everyone is watching him…" He frowned when their target talked to one of his security men and suddenly disappeared. It didn't take long and a bald guy, the stature of a wardrobe came down the stairs, aiming for Daken. "Be prepared!" he said to Remy in case that something went wrong, but the guy said something into the feral's ear and beckoned him to come with him.

"'e took da bait, non?" Remy asked after Daken went upstairs and disappeared from their sight. "Mais, we can't see dem from 'ere…"

"I know, let's go!" Getting up, Scott led the way out of the club and towards an alley. He took his communication device and called the jet, asking for Kurt to join them. It didn't take long and the familiar _bamf_ could be heard, two yellow eyes gleaming in the dark next to them. "We need to get up there," he told him and pointed at a rooftop far above them that would allow the group to have a better look at the upper rooms. At least he hoped so. In less than a blink of an eye Kurt had teleported them to a roof and they observed the windows. Nevertheless, most rooms were either dark or blinds were blocking the view.

"Remy dinks it's dis one," the Cajun said and pointed at a rather large window behind which they could clearly see a man standing.

"I think you're right…," Scott nodded and crouched.

* * *

"Nice view…," Daken said and looked out of the window. Of course he couldn't care. He had followed the conversation on the outside and walked over to the window to give the group a sign of where he was. Behind him he could hear something being poured into two glasses and it didn't take long for a hand holding out one to him.

"I hope you like champagne," the half-Asian man with the long and silky looking black hair said, smiling.

"I love it," Daken lied and gave him his best _I'm-adorable-you-just-have-to-love-me_-smile. The truth was he hated champagne nearly as much as he hated sweets of all kind.

"Are you new around here? I haven't seen you in my club before," the man next to him asked after a moment and looked at him curiously. "And don't tell me you've been here before. I would have noticed!"

Smiling, Daken put the glass down on a tale to his right and smirked. "No, I haven't been to your club before. Guilty as charged," he replied and ran a hand through his carefully styled hair, sending out pheromones to force his target into the direction he wanted him to have. He had already spotted two notebooks, three mobile phones and several USB sticks and external HDD that he had to go through in order to get what he came for. He had no intention of staying here for long. The guy was handsome, he had to give him that, but personally he didn't care. To him he was a toy, a puppet… He kept watching the man as this one put his glass aside and went over to a rather big, black leather couch in a corner.

"I'm Shinobi. What can I call you?" Shinobi Shaw asked and beckoned him to sit down next to him, which the feral did, but not without putting on a show to bring the man further under his control.

"How about being cheesy and saying anything you want?" Daken asked and made the man chuckle.

"Hm…," Shinobi made and drew closer, his hand reaching out to pull up Daken's tight black dress shirt. He let his hands run over the defined muscles first before he buttoned the shirt open and leant in to nibble on the feral's throat. "How about…," he whispered against the pulse point and suddenly let his hand become intangible, letting it sink into Daken's chest and grabbing the feral's heart. The feral uttered a shocked gasp. "…I call you Daken, or Akihiro?" Shinobi asked and made the rest of his body diamond hard when Daken tried to fight him off. "Let me guess why you are here…," Shinobi said and smirked at the feral, who was desperately trying to pull the arm out of his chest. "I would just lie still, if I were you. Up to now I keep my hand intangible and you're fine. The moment I decide otherwise my hands goes solid and…" He sighed playfully. "I don't think your heart would really enjoy that considering it will be torn apart. Where was I? Right. Why…you are here!" He grabbed the feral and pulled him into a position that allowed him to straddle the man, his hand remaining in Daken's chest. "It's the files on Trask, right? God, the X-Men must be desperate… Who was the genius that sent you here? Right into the lion's den?" He smiled down at the man, who gritted his teeth and began sweating. Using his free, diamond hard hand, he grabbed both of Daken's hands and pinned them above the man. "He told me you would come, that they would send you to in order to get my attention and I must admit…you're damn beautiful… Unbelievable that you're Wolverine's son. Your mother must have been quiet the looker."

"Shut up!" Daken seethed through gritted teeth, his heart racing, his mind cursing Scott.

Shinobi chuckled and looked down on him, clearly enjoying the position. "Hm… I think we still got some time before he will arrive… Be nice and do as I say, okay? The moment you move I might lose control over my hand in your chest." He waited a moment before he used a nearby scarf to secure Daken's hands to a hook on the wall behind him. "Good boy," Shinobi mocked and earned a glare that would have made any other man drop dead. "It would be a pity to let a beauty like you go to waste, don't you think?" he smiled and let his free hand roam over Daken's body. "And my, aren't we a beauty?" he added in thoughts and was about to lean in as the door was roughly opened. He sighed in annoyance. "Couldn't you wait twenty minutes longer?" Shinobi snapped at the huge man that had entered and was now towering next to them in the shadows.

"Three X-Men are watchin', do ya know about them?" Romulus asked, eyes glaring at Daken full of hatred.

"They are on the opposite roof, yes. Don't think I'm dumb," Shinobi replied, still straddling Daken. "Do you mind?" he asked him with a side glance at the feral underneath him.

Romulus sat down on the bed so that he could watch the three X-Men at the same time. "I don't care. Do with him whatever ya want as long as it's painful," he grunted and ignored the satisfied smirk Shinobi was giving him.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" Daken seethed as the man's free hand was working on his pants.

"Ya don't have a say in this," Romulus growled. "Arrogant enough of ya t'come here. Thought we wouldn't notice, huh? Who's that desperate? Summers? Your father? Xavier?" he asked and looked aside when Daken uttered a strangled noise in pain. "Tell us where they are hidin', Daken. Then I might even forgive ya their betrayal…" He turned his head away from the scene on the couch and looked back at the opposite roof. Scott, Remy and Kurt still hadn't moved and were watching their window. "Pathetic… To even think they have a chance against Apocalypse. He will crush'em sooner or later. Ya can make it easier for yerself. Tell us where they are 'n ya live. Same goes for yer bitch 'n yer lil' son…" He smirked when Daken, even though he was gritting his teeth and forcing himself to not utter a noise, gave him a shocked look. "Thought I didn't know about yer boy? That I didn't know about that Japanese dancer ya were fuckin' in that backroom in L.A.? I told ya I'm always there 'n watchin' ya, Daken. No matter what ya do. Who do ya think set the fire in that fugitive home where that whore was hidin' with yer kid?" He smirked as he received the most hateful glare Daken was capable of. "I left him alone because ya were loyal t'me. Think I've gotta change my mind, right? I won't make the same mistake with him as I did with ya. That's for sure…," Romulus finished, hearing Shinobi groan. "Done?"

Stroking almost lovingly over Daken's cheek, Shinobi sat back up and rearranged his clothes. "Do we really have to kill him? He would make such a beautiful pet," he gushed and rested his free hand on Daken's abs. "You're wearing Armani… I could get you a fitting collar…"

"I could tear your throat out!" Daken hissed and was roughly reminded of the intangible hand in his chest.

"Enough!" Romulus said and walked over to them, tearing Daken free of Shinobi's grip and restraints by grabbing his throat. "So what will it be, Daken?" he growled and held him close. "Will ya tell me where they are?"

Scott looked impatiently at his watch. "What's taking him so long, damn it?" he cursed and tried to see anything.

"Maybe 'e's fuckin' dat guy's brains out?" Remy shrugged nonchalantly.

"Or maybe something happened?" Kurt said anxiously. "I could take a closer look…"

"Or maybe they've got an orgy and are high as hell. Damn, just imagine that. And we are not part of it! A Wolvergy. Hahahah. Got it? Wolvergy!" a fourth voice said, laughing its head off and made their hands turn.

"What the…?" Scott gasped and instantly reached for his visor, whereas Kurt teleported behind them and Remy reached for his cards.

"Huh? What? Danger? Where?" Deadpool asked and looked behind him. "Hey, there's no one here so chill!" he said and went back at staring at the window. "So what were you looking at? Black windows? I know they are nice but c'mon… What kind of fetish is that?"

"What do you want?" Scott growled and kept his hand ready at his visor. "Did they send you?"

Deadpool looked up. "They?" he asked confused. "Ohhhh, _they_! You mean bleach-face and his buddies!" He waved off. "They kicked me out. Would you believe that? ME! I am the world's best mercenary and they kick me out! Said I'm insane and all that and not worth being paid for. They kick ME out and keep that stinking pussy over there!" He nodded towards the window, referring to Romulus. "I decided to get my revenge. So I came here, saw the Snicktling all dressed up and I thought, hey, why not go over and remind him of the good old times where we were team-buddies and endured the stinking pussycats and their incapability to use the damn litter pans! Speaking of litter pans, how is Vicky?" he asked and realized that no one was listening to him and the X-Men were back at staring at the windows. "Okay, so we are back to observing. Got it!" he said and gave them a thumbs up, pulling put his night-vision glasses.

"Can Remy blow 'im up, please?" the Cajun groaned and frowned all of a sudden. "Why does 'e 'ave night-vision glasses?"

"Because I am a world class mercenary!" Deadpool replied without looking up. "I also have my own personal toilet with me. Wanna see it?"

"Non…," Remy waved off and exchanged a look with Kurt and Scott.

"Let's go and find another spot…," Scott grumbled and got up as Deadpool spoke up.

"Hey, I don't know what the Snicktling is supposed to do over there, but does his mission include being shot in the head by a Deathlok?"

"What?" Scott asked as a shot could already be heard and the window opposite of them burst. He had hardly seen a limp Daken falling towards the ground as the Deathlok already opened fire on them. "Down!" he barked and ducked whereas Kurt teleported to catch Daken's fall. Since Kurt didn't reappeared he assumed he had teleported right back to the jet.

"Remy 'ates bein' shot at, mon ami!" Remy growled, his eyes glowing in anger and loaded the staple of cards in his hands.

"Action? Oh, I love action! Can I join?" Deadpool asked excitedly but had already gotten back up and was firing back at the Deathlok, who didn't care that he was hit.

"What are those things?" Scott muttered and heard a noise behind him. He had barely turned as an angry roar met him and a shadow jumped him. As a reflex he fired his beam blindly and heard something crashing to the grounds. It was then that he had to realize that there were far more growls surrounding them. "The Devils. Remy, run!" he ordered as something struck his back and made him land face down on the ground. Turning his head, he only saw giant metallic wings flying past them, aiming for another attack. "Warren…"

Remy, who had thrown his last cards at the Devils, pulled Scott from the ground and started running towards the edge of the roof. He couldn't care less that Deadpool was following them and pulled Scott with him over the edge, jumping right into the staple of cardboard boxes underneath them. "We need t'go!" he panted and stayed in the shadows.

"Hey, you don't have to tell me twice! Those things stink!" Deadpool quickly raised his head as another roar could be heard and shot the Devil that was jumping at them right into the head. "Booya! Strike!" he cried out in joy.

"Let's go!" Scott said and led the way down the street. They ran as fast as they could but it didn't help that the Devils and Archangel were following them. "We can't run back to the jet without endangering Peter and Kurt," he panted and ducked as Archangel aimed for him once more. "Sorry, Warren….," he said and shot his beam at him, hitting the fallen angel right in the back. In the meantime, Deadpool kept on shooting at the Devils behind them. "Why are you following us?"

"I want to fulfill my lifelong dream and become an X-Men. You at least don't shit into litter boxes!" the merch replied and banged into Remy as he and Scott suddenly came to a halt. "Are we already there?" he asked in confusion but saw the source of their trouble. "Oh… I guess that means we're fucked… Right?" he asked and looked to and fro between Remy and Scott, who stared at the MRD soldiers up ahead and afterwards at the Deathlok and the Devils behind them.

"Damn…," Scott breathed, still panting.

"No cards left, mon ami. Remy can only attack directly…," the Cajun said and tried to catch his breath.

"Hands in the air and surrender or you will be shot!" a soldier barked at them.

Raising his hands, Scott brushed the control of his visor and switched it to maximum. "I'll shot at them, Deadpool at the enemies behind us. The moment they are down in front of us, we'll attack them."

"Can I use my knives and swords? They are so shiny!" Deadpool asked.

"Use whatever you want!"

"Nice!" the merch nodded happily.

Watching how some soldiers came slowly closer, rifles aiming at them, Scott swallowed. "Let them come a bit closer…," he whispered and counted from ten backwards as a soldier suddenly gave a sign to halt and listened to his earpiece.

"Shoot them!" the MRD guy barked and raised his rifle once more, but Scott was already using the full force of his optic blast at them.

The men were pushed back, bodies and cars collided with walls, the street or each other. At the same time, the Devils and Deathlok were attacking the small group, uncaring that Deadpool used his last ammunition on them and the Devils jumped at him with their claws first. Pulling out his katanas, the merch gutted them and cut their heads clean off. Remy had taken out his rod in the meantime. Gleaming, he ran quickly towards the remaining soldiers, jumped into the air, rotated and brought all his fury down in one blow. Due to his powers the ground burst, dirt and stones flew up into the air, the ground shattering and taking everything around him with it. Angrily and with gritted teeth, he looked up, didn't saw the shadow aiming at him as he was suddenly torn off his feed and found himself flying through the air.

"Mon ami, come to yer senses!" he told Archangel as he was suddenly smashed into a wall and pinned to it by metallic wings. He cried out as they cut through his stomach, his clothes instantly soaked with blood and dropped gasping to his knees.

"You're dead, you unbeliever!" Archangel snarled at him and looked at the man in front of him coldly. "You were found guilty of high treason by Master Apocalypse and are hereby sentenced to death by decapitation. May your soul rod in hell!" he said in a monotone voice and raised his metallic wings high into the air, just to bring them down in the next second.

"I hate to tell you but…," Deadpool gasped and kicked another Devil into the head before he cut through another MRD soldier, "…we are in some deep shit!"

"Oh, really?" Scott snapped and blasted two more MRD's to his right, but had to realize that they were coming towards them like rats. He looked briefly aside and saw Archangel on a roof. "Shit, Remy….," he gasped and tried to find a way towards his friend. Nevertheless, he was suddenly distracted as a bullet hit his shoulder and sent him flying backwards. With a loud_ thud_ he hit the ground and gritted his teeth as the pain spread quickly in his body, blinding him. As he opened them again he looked right into the end of a rifle and held his breath. He had always known he'd die in battle…

"Die mutant scum!" the soldier hissed. Ready to strike, he turned his head as the sky darkened and thunder bolt after thunder bolt struck. "What the…?" he asked in confusion but was reminded of the wounded enemy in front of him and wanted to shoot him first. He looked back just to look straight into a gleaming red visor that struck only a second later.

"Marie…," Remy breathed and closed his eyes as the wings came mercilessly down on him, startled as a thunderbolt struck right in front of him and hit Archangel, who got electrocuted. In less than a blink of an eye Storm landed on the roof next to him, all dressed up in their new uniforms and knelt down next to him. "You need medical attention!" she gasped and pressed her hands against his leaking wound. When she looked to her left she had to notice that Archangel was already back up in the air and aiming for Iron Man, who was hovering above them and shooting his beams at the soldiers underneath. "Tony, watch out!" she warned him through their inter com.

"Already seen him, dear!" he soothed her and flew a looping to evade the attack. Still, Archangel quickly dived and got his sides. "I just repainted it, damn it!" Tony cursed and aimed his repulsor at his adversary but the man was already starting a new attack. "Jarvis, analyze!" He had barely said it as he had to dive quickly to avoid being decapitated. "You know what? Screw it!" he cursed and shot his blast at Archangel's back.

On the ground, Scott had long gotten back up and was aiding Deadpool in fighting the Devils and Deathlok, who was by now accompanied by many similar looking ones.

"Bitch!" Shot. "Bitch!" Shot. "Bitch!" Shot. "You, too!" Deadpool cursed and dropped the now empty riffle from the dead soldier next to him. "Did I sign up for this? No! All I wanted was to hook up with an old teammate, the only normal one in this former fucked up team and… Oww!" he cried out as claws went through his back and reappeared at the front. Looking behind him, he stared right into Wolverine's angry eyes. "Hey, I'm on your side, bub!" he snapped and rammed his katana backwards into the feral's stomach. "Stupid doggy!" he muttered and walked forwards to escape the claws. He looked up as archangel aimed for him and held his katana ready as the man in the air suddenly slammed into an invisible wall and was slammed into the ground by a force. At the same time the remaining enemies were raised into the air, quickly turned and thrown into the houses around them. "Niiiice…," he nodded impressed and suddenly felt the same force taking a hold on him. "Hey, I said I'm on your side!" he barked and was surprised that he was gently dropped again.

"I hate to interrupt you but there's a long army convoy heading straight for us!" Iron Man informed them and came to a halt above them. "Or better said, it's too late to run…," he cursed. About to shoot his repulsors, he was surprised that someone gave him a sign to halt.

"I'll take care of them!" Jean said and positioned herself in from of them. She waited for Storm and Logan, the latter carrying Remy, to join them before she began to glow like fire. A giant phoenix wrapped itself around the group, the ground began to shake and she narrowed her eyes as the soldiers opened fire at them. "Fools…," she muttered since the bullets didn't even reach the bird. Instead it spread it wings and send them flying. Using her powers, Jean began to concentrate hard, the bird glowing brighter and brighter. For support, she reached out to Logan, breathed hard as the street was illuminated by her light and closed her eyes briefly. As she opened them again, she dropped the group in front of the jet at the harbor.

"Darlin', ya alright?" Logan asked concerned and handed Peter, who had come out of the jet the injured Remy.

"Yes, I'm fine…," Jean breathed and nodded. "I didn't think this would work out though…"

"We should leave!" Ororo said and touched her arm. Nodding, Jean followed her to the second jet that they had landed next to their other one and started the engines.

"Now, t'ya!" Logan growled and pulled Scott roughly off the ground. "Where's my son?" he barked at him and slammed the man against the jet, holding him there. "Where's he?"

"Logan…?" Kurt asked and put a hand to his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry but…" He looked into the jet with regret in his eyes. "We tried…"

Staring at Kurt while breathing heavily, Logan dropped Scott carelessly to the ground and entered the second jet. He showed Colossus out of the way and walked slowly towards the figure lying motionlessly on the ground. Seeing the blood, being unable to hear a heartbeat while his own was racing, he was suddenly back in Japan, saw his wife lying on the ground, motionlessly, covered in blood. Dropping to his knees, he reached carefully out to touch his son's cold face which rolled to the other side, facing him. He could see her, clearly in front of him, looking the same, feeling equally cold, blood pooling around her, clothes soaked with the red liquid. To him it was as if he was looking at Itsu, their faces too much alike but the fact that it was his boy in front of him, reeking of blood and other things he didn't want to name, couldn't name, made it even worse to him. This time it was his blood on the ground and gathering in a pool, not hers. It was his baby lying broken in front of him.

Without saying anything, Logan picked his son carefully up and carried him to the outside and towards the other jet. He stopped at a figure to his left and gave him a murderous, furious glare. "Yer gonna pay for this, Summers! 'n even Jean won't be able t'stop me!" he said to him in a voice that was barely audible but contained his whole fury.

Watching him disappearing into the second jet, Scott entered his and limped towards the first empty seat he could find. The jet rumbled as it rose into the air and he watched the other jet leading the way, Iron Man flying right next to them. His mind was completely blank.

"I hate to say it, buddy, but you're in deep trouble. I know the grumpy doggy and him being that angry isn't good. In case you're looking for ways out I suggest you just jump out of the plane. It will be less painful than what he's gonna do to you. Otherwise you could just let me shoot him!" Deadpool shrugged and went on cleaning his swords, as a thought hit him. "Hey, if I already agreed on joining you and helping you out, I demand a cool uniform. Nothing fancy, but shiny would be nice. Oh, and…who's my sidekick gonna be?" Waiting anxiously for a reply, he looked two and fro between them, not realizing that he was being ignored…

**First of all: THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! It really made me happy that so many of you left one and I got a good boost of motivation. So THANKS! : )**

**Then I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I first had a major's writer's block and today, after announcing on Facebook that I'll update in a couple of minutes, I got lots of ideas. So instead of 30 pages only this chapter here ended up with 41. I'll try to update as planned. Thanks again to all of you for still reading this and leave a review to let me know what you think, please! See you and take care!**


	13. Author's note

**Author's note:**

Hi guys,

no, I haven't forgotten you or Changes. The final thesis took longer as planned since I had so much to do at and for college next to writing it. Afterwards I had to train for my three practical sports exams (second one is today) every day and study for my two final written state exams, which will be at the beginning of August.

Next to that my notebook was hacked (those of you who follow me on Facebook know about it) and I have make a back up of all my files before I can set up my notebook again. The new chapter, at least as far as it's written so far, is on the damaged harddrive. I'm currently using my old harddrive, with merely 50% of all my files on this one here.

So…. I can't manage to update this month. It's only three weeks until my final written state exam in pedagogy, followed by the final written one in English on August 10.

**BUT: I'm free to type as often and as long as I want after August 10. And from August onwards I am also able to update MONTHLY again!**

I'm very sorry for the delay but I really won't be able to make an update for July. I really can't find the time with all of the stiff mentioned about. However, I know what's going to happen in the chapter, so I only need to write it down. And I'm glad I can update monthly again. I hope you can forgive me and be patient just a bit longer!

**Some spoilers:** Logan and Jean will go solo, there will be major changes on the X-Men team, one X-Men will have a very hard time and will pay a high price for what he did, Daken is dead of course, the bad guys have a plan and there will be a major war scene.

**Expect an update around August 25! **I'll be without internet between August 13 and 21, so I can't update earlier.

So sorry for the inconvenience! I hope you are still looking forward to the new chapter! Thanks to all those readers that left a review. You're awesome! I'll get back to those that I can reply to as soon as I update the new chapter!

Take care!


	14. Chapter 12

1**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**I'm so sorry for the long delay but I was busy as hell with my final thesis and my final exams! To make up for it: an extra-long and action-packed update for you guys!  
**

**NEXT UPDATE:**** September 20-23!**

**Thanks to all the reviewers!**

* * *

**The chapter contains storylines that happened in previous chapter. One in Sequel 2, chapter 21 when baby-Jamie was exchanged for a teenage-version of himself.**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 12**

_Earlier…_

Logan was glaring at the dark screen in front of him. That treacherous bastard had really disconnected his call… "I'm so gonna kill him!" he growled and got up, feeling a hand on his shoulder all of a sudden.

"Let us wait for one hour," Jean suggested. "If he doesn't call back in by then, we go looking for the team."

About to reply, he thought it through. He didn't like the whole situation at all. If it was up to him, he'd jump into the jet and shoot Cyclops down. "One hour!" Logan grunted, eyes narrowed. "_Only_…one hour! And if somethin' happens t'my son, Cyke's dead!" he said and stomped out of the room, followed by her.

"He's blinded by his rage. He doesn't think things through," she said while walking next to him. "He acts like you."

"Yeah, just with the small difference that I'd never endanger anyone of ya!" he snapped. "If I wanna kill those responsible for takin' my family away from me, I'll hunt'em down _alone_!"

Jean sighed. "I know. Calm down, please."

But her request was one in vain. While they sat together in the rec-room, Charles angry about Scott's solo-actions and Magneto smirking in satisfaction while he was watching them in silence, Logan was pacing like a caged tiger that was close to explode. His eyes were never leaving the clock on the wall, the closer they got to one hour later, the more frantically his pacing became; not to mention the worse his mood got.

"He's completely acting irrationally," Charles cursed and glared at Erik, who chuckled.

"Well, obviously your poster-boy isn't as reliable anymore as you thought, Charles," the master of magnetism smirked and sighed in annoyance as Logan cracked his neck for the sixth time in twenty minutes. Erik flicked his hand and made the feral run into the wall.

"Erik!" Charles warned him when Logan uttered an angry growl.

"Then tell him to stop getting on my nerves with this pacing!" Magneto replied and waved at Logan warningly, when this one raised his fist and showed the tips of his claws. "Try it! I'm begging you!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Logan growled in return and only broke eye contact when Jean touched his shoulder. He nodded and crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall instead. However, his eyes were fixed on the clock again.

Magneto smirked again. "Well, it's obvious who's got the last word in your relationship…"

"Erik, it's enough!" Charles hissed and watched how Jean quickly pressed a hand against Logan's chest and held him back with her powers as this one wanted to leap forward. "Stop provoking him on purpose!"

"Then keep your lap_dog_ in check, Charles," Magneto shrugged innocently but his eyes widened in surprised as he noticed the warning glow in Jean's eyes.

Her head jerked aside as Logan suddenly let go of the wall. "Time's up!" he growled and headed for the door.

"Hey, you are definitely not going alone!" Storm protested and joined him. "That idiot took my husband with him!" She looked aside when also Jean followed them and nearly bumped into Logan as he suddenly came to a halt, having heard the barely audible _clong_, and was staring at something. Confused, both women followed his gaze and noticed a silver onyx bracelet on the ground. Neither of them had heard it falling down. Storm was about to ask Logan what was wrong as she noticed that he and Northstar were staring at each other, the speedster only mumbling "Something happened…," while he took the bracelet that Daken had given him and which had suddenly broken, from the ground. His heart was racing, eyes wide in fear. Storm had barely turned back into Logan's direction as the feral was already running down the corridor…

* * *

_Now…_

"So it worked?" Sinister asked when the door behind him went shut. He didn't turn around, faced Apocalypse, who was standing at the huge window of the White House and looked out into the dark, instead.

"Of course it did," Romulus replied and came to a halt next to him. "I told ya they'd sent him."

"So you did…," Apocalypse said and looked at him briefly. "But will _it_ work?" he asked and received a sly smirk.

"Ya can bet on it! I thought everythin' through. The plan will work," Romulus snickered and pulled a small screen out of his pocket that showed a map of an area far up in northern Canada. "It's only a matter of time," he smirked. "'n then we'll know where they are!"

"You better be right," Apocalypse said, eyes narrowed. "Or else…" He nodded at the brunette who was standing behind Romulus and gave Apocalypse an intimidated look.

Growling warningly at him, Romulus positioned himself in front of that woman and glared bag at the leader of Utopia. "It _will _work!" was all he said before he took the woman and left the room.

* * *

Charles was waiting in front of the hangar, anticipating the return of the group. His face was grim since his intuition told him that Northstar was right and something terrible _did_ happen. He was proven right as the double door opened and Logan went past him, carrying the lifeless body of his son and didn't look at him only once. He was followed by Jean, who only signaled that she had to follow her husband and left Charles to wait for Scott.

"Scott!" he addressed the man, who was determined to walk past him, as soon as Charles saw him. "We need to talk!"

"No, we don't!"

"Stay here, Scott!"

"I said no, Charles!" Scott called over his shoulder and was gone.

Muttering curses under his breath, the Professor watched Scott disappear behind a corner and turned to Ororo and Remy instead. "I want you to tell me what has happened. _Now_!" he demanded and wheeled down the corridor, knowing that they were following him. Neither he nor the other two X-Men paid attention to the single person that left the hangar alone and was now looking around in confusion.

"So…where's the party?" Deadpool asked and decided to follow suit.

In the meantime, Logan and Jean had reached the infirmary where Hank and Moira were already waiting for them, both shocked at what they saw and asking for Logan to wait outside.

"I'll stay!" the feral growled, his eyes never leaving Daken's lifeless form and it was not before Jean led him outside that he actually did as he was told.

"Let them do their work, please!" she begged and decided that it was better to wait outside the room with him than letting him out of her sight.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Logan growled and began to pace again.

Jean knew who _he_ was but was at a loss of words at the moment. Waiting for what seemed to be hours to her, she looked aside when the door opened and Hank asked for her to come inside and have a look at something. "What is it?" she asked and was led towards a screen.

"We did an x-ray of his skull," Moira told her and switched on the screen, earning a shocked gasped from Jean. "How do we tell Logan without risking that he'll go into a rage?" she asked the redhead after a moment, but Jean shook her head.

"I…don't know…," she whispered and took her eyes off the screen to have a look at Daken's body that lay on the examination table. She couldn't help but think that she had never seen him look so peaceful. She sighed. "I'll tell him," she said and Hank nodded. "Someone also needs to tell Jean-Paul…"

Hank sighed. "I'll tell him… He was close to freak out anyway the whole time through…" Nodding at them, he left the room and was followed by Jean, who came to a halt in front of her husband.

"What?" this one grunted impatiently and didn't like the look on her face at all. His mind refused to accept whatever she would tell him next, and he knew it wasn't good news. His heart already was in his mouth.

Jean held his look for a moment and could tell that he was already shutting himself off to whatever she was about to tell him. "They did an x-ray of Akihiro's skull…," she began slowly and tried to read his eyes, but couldn't. "Logan, I don't know what kind of bullet they used, but…his brain practically exploded… And we know that your healing factor is located in your spine but…" She heaved a deep breath. "We don't know which role your brain plays during a healing process. However, a body can't survive without a brain, it can't function without a brain, so…"

His eye narrowed. "What are ya tryin' t'tell me, Jean?" he grunted and crossed his arms, the sigh she uttered not helping at all to calm his nerves.

"That…he won't heal, Logan… I think they wanted to make sure that he stays…dead…," she replied, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry…," Jean added and tried reaching out to him but he only gave her a hard look and turned to storm off. "Logan!" she called after him and muttered curses under her breath before she followed him. "Please, don't!"

"Stay outta this!" he snapped angrily at her and followed the only scent that mattered to him right now down the corridor. He ignored her pleas and had only one aim and that was to find… He came to a halt as a window shattered all of a sudden and shouts became louder. As they had nearly reached the kitchen Bobby hastily left the room and seemed to search for something or someone.

"Hey, come quick! He's gonna kill him!" he said and gesticulated into the direction of the room, eyes wide.

"Who?" Jean asked when Logan and she came closer, another loud _boom_ echoing through the corridor.

"Guys, stop!" she heard Kitty and Jubilee barking at the same time and was met with sheer chaos as she entered the room.

Plates, food and broken glass were everywhere, the huge window broken and the frame had burst too, while the coldness from the outside blew into the room. As her eyes fell on the remains of a leg cast and shoulder brace, Jean knew who Bobby was talking about. Before she could act upon it, Logan had already moved to the outside and ignored that the others were telling him what had happened and what he should do and that they already tried but neither Scott nor Jean-Paul were listening to them and that the speedster would kill Scott, if Logan didn't do anything because they couldn't… He didn't care. His eyes were fixed on the man on the ground that was wiping blood off his mouth, holding his ribs and trying to get back up as another speedy attack forced him back down.

"Jesus, Jean-Paul, stop it!" James barked and wanted to go between the two men as he realized that Logan, face grim, was already walking slowly towards them.

"Get up, you morceau de merde!" he heard the speedster barking at Scott, who was slowly getting up from the ground, blood still visible on his chin, and saw that the man was reaching for his visor. But before he could slam his fist into the Scott's face again, Logan had already pulled Scott up by his collar and was glaring at him with narrowed eyes and a tensed jaw.

"Ya gotta say somethin'?" he growled through clenched teeth and felt the beast gnawing at his cage within him. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt such a fury and hatred within him.

Watching them, James startled as Logan's fist suddenly met Scott's jaw and the X-Man practically flew to the ground, hitting it hard. "What the hell happened?" he asked and wanted to look at Jean but the woman had already run over to Logan, who had extracted his claws, blocking his next attack with her powers and also Colossus had sprinted over to the group to stop Northstar from another attack. It wasn't before the Professor wheeled to the outside, looking at the mess, that they actually got an answer to their question. "Professor, what happened?" James asked him and was interrupted by Wolverine's angry roar as the beast broke free and was furious at Phoenix for standing between him and his prey. "Jesus, what's going on?"

"Akihiro is dead," Charles told them and the group stared at him in shock.

"Explains everything…," John Logan nodded and watched how Phoenix began to tease Wolverine and to lure him away from the group. "He won't hurt her, will he?" he asked concerned as she used a psychic blow to throw Wolverine a few meters through the air, but Charles shook his head, his eyes on Scott, who was hit by Jean-Paul again. But this time Colossus managed to get a hold on the speedster before this one could escape again.

"Tu m'as pris mon chum, fils de put!" Jean-Paul barked in his native tongue while Colossus did his best to drag him away from Scott. "Tu vas payer pour ce que tu as fais, tu m'entends? Tu vas payer!" He used his speed to break free of Colossus grip and stared at Scott, who had gotten up from the ground, full of hatred and panting heavily. His body was shaking with rage, glowing with light while his eyes were narrowed to slits and also glowing white. "Casse-toi!" he warned Peter as the man reached out to touch him again.

"Just calm down, my friend!" Colossus said, both hands in the air to show that he wouldn't move for now. He looked into the man's glowing, angry eyes that contained so much rage he never thought the speedster was capable of. But he also saw the tears that were barely visible through all the light Northstar was radiating. His eyes fell on Wolverine, who was still trying to find a way to get back to Scott but still had Phoenix in his way, before he looked at Cyclops who was slowly coming out of his dazed state. As he heard chuckles behind him, he saw Pyro, followed by Juggernaut and whoever else he had on his tails, walking past them. He guessed they had heard everything by the amused looks they gave them, and hoped Pyro would shut up for once. His eyes looked at Jean-Paul, who was still breathing heavily and obviously trying to get his powers back under control as much as his body was shaking.

"Why all those unhappy faces?" Pyro mocked and his eyes were fixed on Northstar, who had turned to glare at him warningly. "One fag less in the world. Who cares?" he added and looked at his companions who joined his laughter.

Colossus' eyes had narrowed at the hateful comment as he saw how Northstar raised his right hand, his body and eyes glowing stronger than before. "Just ignore them…," he said but startled as all of a sudden a radiant beam shot into the direction of the small Brotherhood group, hitting them full force and sending them flying for a couple of meters. Surprised about that much power, Colossus stared at Northstar in shock as did the rest of the group, but also Northstar himself was obviously shocked about the power he had just used. Completely overwhelmed, the speedster ran off in the end.

"Shit, where did he go?" James asked and looked around.

"He'll be back," Domino shrugged but received a huff.

"He is a hot head! He acts completely irrational and he just lost his boyfriend!" James cursed and looked at Narya, who nodded.

"I'll find him," she promised and turned into a snow owl before flying off to look for her friend.

Tony on the other hand was still completely stunned. "That…was my repulsor technique!" he complained loud enough for everyone to hear. "Why is that guy able to use my repulsor technique?"

"I don't know," James shrugged thoughtfully. "To be honest I never saw him using it before. He can create light but…nothing this powerful…"

"Well, obviously he can…," Tony sulked and crossed his arms. "I'm not unique anymore…"

Cap rolled his eyes playfully. "Don't worry, Tony," he said and patted his teammate's shoulder, "you're still as unique as you can!"

"You think so?" Tony asked and watched how Colossus helped Scott up, who slapped the Russian's hand away. "I smell trouble…," he muttered and shrugged, before he went back inside.

Kitty stepped forward, her face as pale as that of Jubilee. "He's…really dead?" she asked and covered her mouth in shock when Charles nodded sadly. She turned her head when Scott limped over to them and could immediately tell that the Professor's mood worsened.

"And you will follow me now! Don't make me force you, Scott!" Charles said through gritted teeth and led the way. "Oh, and don't worry about Jean. She assured me that she can handle Wolverine just fine. I'd appreciate it, if you found Jean-Paul and send him to me instead. His mental state worries me greatly," he told them and left the group to startle as Phoenix's firebird uttered a loud screech and threatened the growling Wolverine, who glared at his mate with black eyes.

Both mutants moved in a circle around each other, uttering warnings and threats, until Wolverine leapt at Phoenix with a roar and was sent over the cliff by her.

"Must be one hell of a marriage…," Domino commented, an eyebrow raised, as Phoenix followed him and both were gone from their sight.

"She's just helping him working off his rage…," Kitty rolled her eyes and moved back to the inside, looking at the mess the kitchen was. "I'm so not going to tidy up here!"

"Jean will really be okay?" Cap asked with a last look at the cliff and began to frown when Hank gave him a look that spoke volumes.

"You have never seen the tapes from the havoc she has caused on Alcatraz, have you?" Beast asked and began to clean up. "She's the only one that can handle Logan and Logan is the only one that can handle Phoenix. When both go into a rage you get the hell away from them as fast as you can!"

Hawkeye nodded and began to help him, his eyes on Cap nonetheless. "Got it…"

Quicksilver entered the room and looked at the destruction, sighing heavily. "Anyone able to repair windows?"

"Obviously not! Otherwise someone specific, which means _me_, wouldn't have to still sleep on a couch, right?" Rictor grumbled and gave him an annoyed look before he carefully moved over to the fridge and got something to eat and two bottles of water.

"As far as I know someone specific gets really cozy on the couch with his boyfriend," Domino teased him and was rewarded with a murderous look. "Ohhh, what's the face, dear? Is Shatterstar watching TV?" She laughed as Rictor gritted his teeth. "Well, it's your own fault. You introduced him to watching TV!"

"No, that was Madrox!" Rictor sulked and left the room again, hearing her laughing still down the corridor.

Cap, who was leaning against the wall and holding his injured chest with one hand, had watched the whole conversation with a big frown. "What's up with that Shatterstar guy and TVs anyway?" he asked in confusion, since he barely saw the man not in front of one.

Domino looked back at him. "Easy. Shatty is one of Sinister's sick experiments. He's been artificially bread to be a warrior and assassin. He was created for killing purposes only, to not understand or feel any human characteristics like feelings, sexual desire and so on. Just to kill without mercy," she explained. "When X-Factor found him and began to take care of him, he began to adapt to us and wanted to learn to understand human behavior. So Jamie told him to watch TV."

"And…this helped?" Hawkeye asked while pausing his attempts to bring an order into this chaos for a moment.

Domino shrugged. "He understands us way better than before and even learned Spanish and English by just watching TV. But then again, he learned Spanish only so that he could talk to Rictor in his native tongue…" She sighed. "Anyway, TV became his favorite past time… Next to being with Ric… And next to flirting with everything that has a pulse lately… From his emotional development he's reached the teenager stage. At least when it comes to hormones… But he is a superb fighter! There's no one I'd rather have next to me in a fight than Shatty."

"So Sinister is also creating artificial mutants by now…," Cap mumbled.

"Don't forget cloning mutants that we know…," Hank added, also mumbling and gave the remains of the window a brief look. "Who would have thought Jean-Paul had that much strength in him…?" he said more to himself and tried to figure out how to keep the cold from seeping in. He turned his head when he heard two people arguing.

"I wasn't done with you, Mister Stark!" Pepper snapped and followed Tony, who tried to escape the angry redhead behind him desperately.

"Pepper…," the man sighed and found himself trapped between the remains of the shattered window and the woman all of a sudden. He frowned briefly at the first and quickly raised both hands in defense at the latter.

"Hank told you to rest, to take it easy and to NOT participate in any fights!" Pepper went on and noticed Hank nodding in the background. "And what do you do? Follow Logan to New York and do exactly that. You were shot off the sky only recently and nearly died and…."

"Pepper…," Tony tried once more but she went on with her rage, slapped his chest, which made him utter a fake-pained "Ouch!", and stomped off. He sighed. "I need a beer…"

"No, you don't!" Cap warned him.

"And Pepper is right," Hank added. "If I had gotten my hands on you earlier…"

Tony pointed behind him at the door. "I…go and lie down," he quickly said and disappeared.

"That's Tony for you, Hank. He never listens," Cap shrugged and rubbed his chest. "Well, I go and I'll definitely lie down," he announced and left the room, stopping briefly as a door was pulled open and an angry Scott left.

"Scott!" Xavier shouted after him and made the man turn.

"No, Charles! If all of you want to hide here and wait for them to come, fine, do it! But I won't!" Scott barked back at him, furiously and stomped further down the corridor, where he ran into Logan, who was wet as a drowned dog, clothes torn and still looking furious. Next to him Jean stood, a hand on Logan's shoulder and ready to intervene. She looked aside as the rest of the group slowly gathered in the corridor.

"Yer outta the X-Men, Summers," Logan growled and grabbed the man by the collar to slam him into the wall to his right, holding him there. "'n outta X-Force! Ya wanna get yerself killed? Fine with me. But I sure as hell won't sit here 'n watch how yer risk yer friends' life!" he hissed and let Scott carelessly fall to the ground, facing the group with an ice cold look. "Anyone who follows any of his orders from now on is outta the teams, too! Understood?" he growled at them. "It's an order t'ignore his orders from now on. Anyone of ya who won't follow my order can look for a new team!" he added angrily and stomped down the corridor without another look at anyone of them, followed by Jean.

Scott, who was still sitting on the ground, watched them leaving, panting in suppressed anger. "Son of a…," he muttered and reached for his visor. His optic blast shot out of his eyes, aiming for Logan, who had turned at the uttered warning from his friends and was simply staring at the invisible wall the blast hit. He also simply watched as Jean shot a warning psychic blast into Scott's direction and turned around afterwards to head further down the corridor, followed by her.

"I should take a look at your shoulder…," the redhead said but he shook his head, aimed straight for the infirmary and went into the sterile looking room. He wasn't surprised to find the speedster standing next to the bed, staring down at the pale figure. He had known he would run this way. "They are looking for you…," Jean said but Northstar only shrugged, his eyes still glaring at something. "What is it?" she asked and his still glowing eyes looked back at her.

"Does he know what they did to him?" he asked with a nod at Logan, who had raised his head in confusion. Jean-Paul met his eyes and nodded down, his hands holding Daken's cold one, his warm fingers stroking over angry dark blue bruises. "They've forced him…," he spoke hoarsely and in barely more than a whisper, eyes fixed on the peaceful face that he had learned to love more than anything else. "Again…"

"_Forced_ him?" Logan asked and received a nod. His hazel eyes found Jean's green orbs and he could tell that she was equally confused. He watched her taking the chart into her hands and reading through it and he knew he had his answer as her face fell. "He's dead…," he cursed and was about to head for the door when her voice stopped him.

"According to Hank's test it wasn't Romulus this time. The DNA doesn't match…," she informed him and he came to a halt next to her, his look earning a confused look from her.

"Ya can help him!" Logan said determined and Jean sighed, her mind sending the chart back to its place.

"Logan…," she began as he grabbed her arms and made her look at him.

"Ya can! Remember when ya were pregnant with the twins? 'n Magneto attacked us?" he asked in a pleading voice. "Ya helped me, ya set me back together 'n saved me, Jean!"

"This was different… I…I don't know how I did it…," she whispered and looked almost scared, but not of him.

"Ya can do anythin' ya want, Jeannie. Anythin' ya can imagine," he spoke softly. "Please…"

"Can you?" Northstar asked, hopefully and turned into her direction but never let go of Daken's hand. "Can you bring him back?"

Looking to and fro between both men, Jean swallowed hard. She could, yes, it would work, maybe, she could lose control…., it could go wrong…very likely…

Smelling her fear, Logan cupped her face gently. "I'm here! Ya won't lose it."

"It can go wrong, Logan… You can't just set a brain back together, repair it…without risks… Charles would never do it," she told him but he huffed.

"Yer not Chuck, Jeannie!" he replied and took her hands. "I trust ya! I know ya can do it!"

Jean gave Daken a look and bit her lip. "In case it works… In case he wakes up again…," she began and looked at both men. "He can come back wrong. He can come back as a berserker or as even more psychotic than he already was. And then…you'd have to put him down for good!" she warned Logan, who heaved a deep breath and nodded.

"I trust ya…," he said once more and kissed her. "I know ya can do it! At least try…"

"Please, Jean…," Northstar added and she contemplated their request.

In the end, she moved over to the head of the bed and looked down at the body in it. "It's risky…," Jean muttered once more and tried to calm her nerves. "Give me a moment…"

Nodding, Logan motioned for Northstar to step away a bit in order for the redhead to gather her thoughts. They remained silent for a while, each one of them thinking their own thoughts but still about the same. "I kicked him outta the teams…," Logan told the speedster, feeling the need to talk about something else than _this_ right now.

"Good…," Jean-Paul nodded and crossed his arms, his eyes never leaving the concentrating redhead. "I heard you had trouble fighting in New York."

"Yeah…"

"The problem is," Jean said while placing her hands at the sides of Daken's head, "that the original team is too old by now. Most of us are nearing our 50's or have already passed them. We need younger X-Men in order to be able to stand up against our enemies."

"Yeah, but we don't have younger X-Men 'n I sure as hell won't send kids into a war," Logan replied and crossed his arms, watching how her eyes began to glow.

"_Then we should change this, shouldn't we?"_

He frowned. "Did ya say somethin', darlin'?" he asked but didn't receive a reply.

"But we need to change something…," Jean-Paul said and looked at Logan. "How else are we supposed to win this?"

"No idea…," Logan shrugged and startled as the room suddenly began to shake, cupboards and cabinets rattling heavily. His eyes darted around the room and came to a halt at Phoenix, who stared back at him with black eyes, smirking.

"_I think we should change it right now_!" was the last he heard in his head as a giant, fiery blast hit him and everything turned black…

* * *

When he came by again he was sitting next to Jean in one of the jets. Confused he looked at her and listened to her complains, trying to figure out how he had gotten here…

"It's a bad idea, Logan! I know you want revenge but right now you're not any better than, Scott!" Jean went on and watched him turning his head in confusion as if he could see anyone behind them. "Are you even listening to me?" she asked and his eyes met hers.

"Uhm…yeah?" Logan muttered and looked at the screen in front of him. Why did he know where he was going but couldn't remember boarding the jet? "Darlin'?" he asked and she sighed in annoyance, crossing her arms. "What…happened in the ICU?"

"What do you mean_ what happened_?" Jean asked, clearly confused.

"Well…ya said somethin' about changin' it 'n…then…," he shrugged.

"I said I can't tell if it worked out or not and that we have to wait, Logan," the redhead replied and ran a hand through her hair, sighing. "I'm still against you doing this here!"

About to ask what he was actually doing, Logan brushed it off and shrugged, deciding to follow his instincts that led him to New York…

In the meantime, Narya watched John and Colossus repairing the broken window with the help of Bobby, whereas Kitty and Jubilee were preparing dinner to her left. The room was still kind of cold and not as cleaned up and it should have been after so many hours. It was also weird that no one of the older members had been seen for quiet a while by now, but she shrugged it off as them wanting some time for themselves and their family, to bring some peace into the tensed situation that they had. She looked down when something touched her leg and smiled. "Hey, Jamie!" she greeted the boy, who looked up at her with his big green eyes.

"Daddy here?" the boy asked and let her pull him up so that he could sit on her lap and look over the table.

"No, sweety, daddy's not here. I don't know where he is," she told him and ruffled his dark hair.

"No?" he asked, being his usual cute self.

"No."

"Daddy and mommy probably have some fun time," Jubilee snickered while cutting vegetables and was elbowed by Kitty. "What?"

"Nekkid time?" Jamie asked and got confused when Jubilee began laughing allowed. "No?" he asked Narya, who smiled and tried not to giggle.

"No, sweety, they don't have a bath!" she smirked and cuddled him, noticing that his attention was already on something else. Her eyes grew wide as she noticed what the boy had been looking at. "Where have you been?" she asked and got up after putting Jamie down on the ground to hug Jean-Paul, who felt rather stiff and distant in her arms. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry for…you know…" When she tried to cup his cheek he evaded her touch and went wordlessly to the fridge to get a beer. Watching him, made her concerned. "JP, are you all right?" she asked again and earned a shrug only before he aimed for the door again. "Hey!" she said and wanted to grab his hand.

"Leave me alone!" the French-Canadian grunted, went back to his room where he lay back down on the bed, burying his face in the pillow next to his side and stared at the wall again. He sighed when he heard the door being opened. "I told you to leave me alone…"

"And you should know me better than this!" Narya replied and walked over to him. "How do you feel?" she asked again and received an angry look from him.

"My boyfriend is dead, how do you think I _feel_?" he snapped at her and turned back to stare at the wall, hugging Daken's pillow again. "Jean tried to help him… It didn't work out… He won't come back…" He tensed up as she touched his shoulder and stroked over his back. "Stop it, please…"

Narya sighed and withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry to hear that… I really am… I know you loved him," she whispered and brushed her long, blonde hair aside. "Do you…need anything?" she added and he turned to look at her.

"I wanna be alone…," he told her tiredly and received a nod, then watched her leaving.

"But in case you do…let me know, okay?" Narya asked before she closed the door behind her and left again. While she was walking through the corridors, she became once more suspicious. She ran into nearly all younger members of the teams but not one of the older ones. It couldn't be that all of them were still sleeping or resting or taking their time with their partner or children. Something was off…

"There you are," a deep voice growled behind her and she was hugged and kissed from behind. John smiled warmly at her and ran a hand through her hair gently. "Anna asked if we could play a game with her. Are you in, baby?"

"Sure," Narya nodded and took his hand, still frowning when she looked behind her. "Did you see…the Professor or…Ororo?" she asked and he shook his head. "No one has for quiet a while. Your brother and Jean are still missing too. I think it's odd, don't you?"

John shrugged. "Maybe they were sent off to a super-secret mission?" he said. "Would explain why we haven't seen any one of the first team…"

"Hm…," she made and followed him back to their room where Anna was already waiting for them. Still, she couldn't stop believing that something was seriously wrong…

* * *

After they had left the jet behind them at the Hudson River, Logan and Jean walked through the dark streets of what had been New York until a few months ago. By now there was destruction nearly everywhere. Bodies of traitors hung openly on lamps to warn the rest of the civilians what would await them, if they didn't follow Apocalypse. Not too far away from them, someone had been set on fire by the MRD, who were watching how the last remains of the human burned to ashes. Buildings were destroyed, the sky still black, lava-red here and there where more fires were still burning. Troops of the MRD were patrolling the streets and Sentinels the sky. If someone tried to flee, they made sure there was no escape. Logan, who was glad that Jean shielded them from any eyes, could only shake his head. He had seen a similar situation like this before, decades ago. Back then, they had won the fight…

"Like Nazi-Germany…," he muttered and exchanged a brief look with Jean, whose eyes were still as concerned as before. He took her hand into his and squeezed it soothingly. Even though he had no idea what Phoenix had done in the ICU and how he had gotten into the jet, he could easily tell what he came for. So he was not surprised when he came to a halt in front of a nightclub.

"Logan…," Jean said, her voice soft and she reached out to touch his shoulder. "I know you want revenge… But we can still go back…"

He gave her a determined look back. "If he had killed Jamie or Jack…, what would ya do?"

She sighed. "I'd do the same to him in return…"

"Look… I can go alone. Ya don't have t'come," he said and stroked over her cheek. "Coz it ain't gonna be pretty…"

But Jean shook her head. "I said I won't let you go alone. So don't bother trying to talk me into staying here," she replied and he smirked. "I'll block us from everyone's view again," she announced and they entered the club together.

Logan only needed a moment to block all senses out and follow the one that had been all over Daken. Upstairs, he entered a room and immediately found who he had come for. Shinobi Shaw was just coming out of the bathroom, half dressed and was heading for his wardrobe, as a psychic push threw him down and glued him to the ground.

"What the…?" the man gasped in surprise even more so as three shiny claws suddenly appeared out of nowhere right in front of his eyes. "You…"

"Surprised?" Logan growled, eyes dark in sheer hatred. "Think ya can kill my son 'n get away with it, bub?"

Shinobi's eyes looked from him to the redhead and back. He chuckled. "So that beauty's your son, huh?" he mocked and grinned, uncaring that the claws were now piercing his skin and that Jean was preventing him from going intangible. "Such a beautiful boy… I did him good, you know?" Shinobi said and grinned lasciviously, earning a low growl from Logan. "And besides…_Logan_, even with this…" He looked at Jean and winked at her. "…beautiful and precious Phoenix on your side…, no, I'm not surprised. And you know why?" Shinobi asked and Logan tried to hide his surprise. "Because you…just got right into our trap."

"Trap…?" Jean asked aloud and exchanged a look with Logan. Her senses had not picked up on any threat close by and she knew that if Logan's had, he wouldn't have entered the club…

"Yes, trap, sweetheart. Romulus planned it and you fell for it," Shinobi smirked, still not caring about the claws at all. In the end, the surprise moment was on his side. "When the almighty Phoenix and the oh-so dangerous Wolverine are here…," he went on after a brief moment of silence, "then who exactly is watching over your children and friends in case of an attack?"

Logan began to glare at him and he wrapped one hand around Shinobi's throat, squeezing it lightly. "Yer bluffin'!"

"Am I?" Shaw snickered and was completely unimpressed by the Wolverine's actions. "Romulus knew your son would appear here sooner or later to catch my attention, so I've been warned before that idea even crossed your mind. He also knew that you would never leave his body behind," he told Logan as if he was talking to a small child. "And he also figured out that you would ask your precious wife to safe your baby boy. So that engineer of Sinister created a bullet that would remain dormant in your son's brain. Until…" His eyes switched to Jean and a grin became visible on his lips.

Logan turned his head and gave Jean a look. He didn't need to communicate with her mentally, he knew that what Shaw was telling him was true, and the panic in Jean's eyes was enough for him to know that she was thinking the same. "My son ain't enough. They'll stop him!" he growled and glared at Shinobi again who couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, darling," Shaw sing-songed. "Who was talking about your son? Your son is dead!"

"But you said…," Jean began and he simply smiled at her.

"The bullet contains a hidden GPS-chip. Thanks to your psychic probing…," Shaw began and Logan's heart fell.

"…they know where we're hidin'…," he concluded and received a joyful nod.

"And with the two most powerful and dangerous mutants here and your son dead…we are back to my previous question," Shinobi said. "Who is protecting your children and friends again?" he asked and made use of the moment that both mutants were distracted. He quickly went intangible and rolled aside, Logan's claws hitting the ground. His hand pushed a red button next to his bed and the windows were locked by thick steel walls in an instant.

Growling warningly, Logan extracted both pair of claws and positioned himself in front of Jean. "Lockin' yerself in with _us_, bub? Kinda stupid, ain't it?" he asked and had already heard the footsteps that were rushing upstairs. It didn't take long and the door burst open, MRD shouting at them and pointing their weapons at the two X-Men. Logan began to frown as he noticed the Deathlok between them. "Really….stupid…," he said again, using the advantaged that Jean and he had but the others didn't: psychic communication. While he aimed for the windows and began to cut through the steel, Jean used a psychic blast to throw the MRD off guard and through the wall. The bullets that the soldiers and Deathlok shot at them hit an invisible wall, and they backed off as Jean's eyes began to glow first and her body became engulfed in psychic flames next.

"Darlin'!" Logan shouted and held out his hand towards her, his foot already standing in the hole he had cut.

With a last psychic blast that made the walls and ground shake, Jean turned, headed over to Logan and wrapped an arm around his neck while his embraced her waist. They jumped out of the window of the high building, already saw that the MRD and two Sentinels were awaiting them on the street, as Jean used her powers to slow down her fall and fly them over to the next best roof. There, she shot blast after blast to free their way, whereas Logan cut through the soldiers on the roof.

"_Mutant DNA detected_," the Sentinels said at the same time and cut off their escape route. _"Mutant identified as Phoenix."_

"_Mutant identified as Wolverine,"_ the other Sentinel said nearly simultaneously. _"Calculation done. Execution initiated."_

"Execution my ass!" Logan growled and slammed his claws through a soldier's chest. He noticed more soldiers coming up the roof while both Sentinels were pointing their hands at them already. "Damn, we need t'go…," he muttered under his breath and startled as both Sentinels suddenly exploded and fell from the sky. Cocking an eyebrow at the remains, he slowly turned just to see Dark Phoenix walking up towards him, obviously determined to do whatever she had planned next.

"No time to waste," she hissed and glared at a group of MRD coming up towards them. "And you…will go!" she announced before she vaporized them with a blink of her eyes. "Hold on to me," Phoenix demanded of Logan next and gave him an impatient look through her black eyes.

"Alright…," Logan muttered and held on to her for dear life as she turned the firebird on and flew them back to their jet.

* * *

Back at Genosha Northstar was still lying awake and looking at the boy who was peacefully sleeping next to him. He didn't bother to wipe away his tears that were running freely, nor did he care. He missed him. No matter how difficult and unnerving Daken could have been, Northstar felt as if half of him had been torn off. He felt incomplete. He was well aware that the rest of the team couldn't understand their odd partnership, thought he was crazy to even let Daken remotely close to him. Still he felt lonely as ever.

Sniffing, the speedster sat up and tucked Kazuki back in again before he couldn't take it anymore. He needed to get out. Already looking at the boy, who reminded him too much of Daken, was too much for him to handle. After he had left the room, he headed for the kitchen to get himself a drink and sat down with a beer in his hand. He ran a hand through his hair and heaved a deep breath. His hand was trembling again as another wave of panic attack took hold of him. He hated it, hated his torturers and hated what effects their doings still had on him. However, he still couldn't remember a thing except for what he was reliving in the several nightmares he had…

"Mommy and daddy are still not back…," a voice suddenly said behind him and Northstar quickly ran a hand over his face.

"Non?" he asked and turned to look at Jack, who shook his head.

"Où sont-ils?" the boy asked and walked over to the still open window to look outside. It was so dark that he could barely see the snow. However, he began to frown at the weird lights not too far away from the cliff.

"Je ne sais pas…," Jean-Paul replied and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "But I'm sure they'll be back soon, Jack. Don't worry…"

The boy huffed. "Yeah, that's what they've said about Nii-chan, too…," he grunted and his frown deepened as the lights came closer.

"Nii-chan?" Northstar asked confused and Jack gave him a look over his shoulder.

"Big brother. It's Japanese," the boy said matter-of-factly and picked up on the change in the speedster. "Sorry…"

Northstar waved off. "It's okay…," he said and tried to smile but had to clear his throat. "You should go back to bed. It's way past midnight."

Nodding, Jack gave the weird lights a last look. "What are those?" he asked in the end and Jean-Paul walked over to him. "They seem to be coming closer…"

"No idea…," the speedster shrugged, his gut feeling warning him all of a sudden. "C'mon, back to bed," he said and ruffled Jack's hair. "I'm sure your parents will be back soon."

"Okay…," Jack shrugged and headed back to his room, leaving Northstar to frown deeply at the lights.

"They are coming closer indeed…," he muttered and contemplated what to do. In the end, he jogged over to Cap's room door and knocked. After he had waited in vain for someone to open, he tried Scott's and Remy's room door next. It dreaded him, it really did. He hoped Scott had gone to hell and that only Remy was there… When there was also no reply, he opened the door carefully. "Remy?" he asked and waited again but frowned since the blinds were still wide open at the time. Northstar switched the lights on and gasped as he found both men lying on the ground. "Hey!" he said and was kneeling next to them in an instant, glad that he could find a heartbeat. Reaching out and turning them around, he gave both of them a shocked look. "What the…?"

Groaning, Scott opened his eyes and blinked at the lights on the ceiling. Realizing that he was actually lying on the ground, he sat carefully up and looked at Northstar, who was still staring at him in shock and hatred. "What happened…?" he asked confused and his eyes fell on Remy, who was slowly sitting up as well and rubbing his neck. "Remy…what happened to your face?" Scott asked shocked and was suddenly wide awake.

"Pardon?" Remy asked and blinked, looking at Scott for real for the first time since he had woken up. "What the…?" he made and stared at Scott in return. "Remy dinks somethin' is seriously wrong with yer face, mon ami….!"

"My face? Your face!" Scott replied.

"Non, both of you…," Northstar said, still staring at them in utter confusion. "You're both looking….younger…"

"You're kidding!" both men said simultaneously but got up to check for themselves as the speedster shook his head.

"What…," Scott made and moved closer to the mirror to look at his hair more closely. Not only did he look young again, the grey in his hair was also gone and the same was the case with Remy. "What the hell happened?" he demanded to know and looked at Northstar.

"No idea… But we were wondering where all the older members had gone…"

"What do you mean?" Scott asked.

"Well,…we haven't seen any of the older team members the whole day through…," the speedster snapped at him and remembered why he was actually here. "Listen, there are some weird lights…"

"Was this some kind of attack? Did you find any one of the others?" Scott cut him off and grabbed his arms.

"No, listen!" Northstar said more energetic. "There are some weird lights coming closer. It feels off. Something isn't right!"

"'f coz... Look at us! Does dis look alright t' you?" Remy asked after he had looked at himself in the mirror again.

"What lights?" Scott asked and Northstar beckoned them to follow him.

Back at the kitchen, the speedster pointed out of the window and made room for them, looked away when Scott glanced at him and waited for their judgment. It didn't take long and Scott began to frown.

"Can you run over to the cliff and check it out?" he asked and Northstar cocked an eyebrow at him.

"So that you can get rid of me next?" he asked arrogantly but was out of the backdoor and back again in a blink of an eye. "Sentinels! Many Sentinels!" Northstar breathed.

"Damn…," Scott muttered. "Anything else?"

"Jets, two ships, I think… At least there are some boats with soldiers coming our way… Some are already at the beach down the cliff," the speedster explained quickly and looked back out of the window.

"So?" Remy shrugged. "Jean is shieldin' us from deir view. Dey don't know we are 'ere!"

"Jean is not here!" Jean-Paul disagreed.

"Doesn't matter. Jean said the block also works when she is not around. They can't see us," Scott said as something big suddenly exploded and they hit the ground hard due to the impact.

"Can't see us, huh?" Northstar barked over the noise and got quickly up. "They know we are here!"

"'ow…?" Remy muttered and exchanged a brief look with Scott.

"Jean- Paul, get the children into the safety-room, Remy, you head for the emergency lockdown, I go and wake the others!" Scott quickly instructed them and they headed off. While he aimed straight for the room of Cap, Remy ran down the corridor and straight to the computer room where Quicksilver was already activating the lockdown.

"What happened?" Piotr asked him and typed more commands into the computer, as another impact made the ground shake.

"Dey know we are 'ere!" Remy said and looked at the screens. Two showed how MRD-soldier were trying to break through one of the escape tunnels, while three others showed Sentinels landing on the grounds. "'ow?"

"No idea. Jean said they can't see us…," Quicksilver shrugged and typed in the last commands. "Come on. You can help me evacuating the children!" he said with a pat on Remy's shoulder and both ran off. It was then that he noticed something was off. "What happened to your face, man?"

"No idea," Remy grunted and followed him towards the dormitories where Madrox and dozen of his dupes were already telling the children where to run and Domino was running past them, Fury in tow and weapons ready.

"What's going on?" Madrox demanded to know when the ground shook once more and the children screamed on fear. "Keep on running, c'mon!" he shouted over the noise.

"They found out!" Quicksilver shouted back and handed Remy two of the youngest children. "Just follow the dupes. They'll lead you straight to the safe-house!" he instructed and picked up three more, using his speed to make the whole process faster. "Where the hell is my father?" he barked over the noise.

Northstar, who had picked up Kazuki, was leading Jack and his siblings to the safe-house, too. "Everything will be all right," he tried to calm them down and, after reaching the room, told his son to stick to his aunts and uncle. Reaching out, he stroked over Rachel's hair and wiped her tears away. "It's gonna be fine. Just stay here, okay? You're safe!" he promised.

"But where are mommy and daddy?" the girl sniffed and held on to her brother's arm.

"They are probably already helping the team. Don't worry, okay?" he asked and looked up when Ororo and Kurt arrived with their children, followed by Narya. "You too?" he asked the couple surprised after looking into their faces.

"Any idea what happened?" Ororo asked and placed TJ next to Laura.

"Non… But obviously someone made the older team younger…," the speedster shrugged and looked at Narya. "Who's staying with the children?"

"Heather, some Madrox dupes and I will," she told him and held on to him as the ground shook heavily again. "The others are already suiting up!"

Nodding, he gave the children a last look. "Where's Jamie?" he asked but Jack shrugged. "Okay, stay here. I'll go and find him!" he said and ran off.

Outside in the corridor all hell had broken loose. The teams were running wildly around, nearly bumping into each other in attempts of suiting up and guiding others into safety at the same time. When Tony ran past him, Northstar grabbed him by the arm, not surprised anymore that also the Avenger looked much younger than before. "Have you seen Jamie?" he asked but Tony shook his head. "Damn…" He had barely said it as the walls and ground shook so heavily that he was slammed into Tony and both fell to the ground.

"They are pissing me off, really," Tony cursed after the shockwaves had subsided and looked at the speedster. "You know…even though you are not as handsome as I am and I wouldn't mind this position, if I were… " He gesticulated with his hand to indicate what he was talking about. "…but could you get off of me, please? I need to get to my suit."

"You're not my type anyway, Tony," Northstar calmed him down and helped him up. "In case you find Jamie, tell the next best person to bring him into safety!" he said and ran off again.

Throwing the hands into the air, Tony went on running down the corridor towards the armory in order to suit up. Within seconds he was wrapped up in his Iron Man gear and about to head for the hangar as Hank crossed his way. "I know, I know!" he quickly said before the X-Man could say anything. "I'm injured, I should be in bed…" The ground shook again.

"Drastic times, my friend. Cap is ready for battle too and he's still not completely healed either," Hank shrugged and began to get dressed in the new X-Men uniform. His eyes fell on Tony again. "You too, as I see?"

"Well, yeah," Tony shrugged, not knowing what to make out of the situation and stopped at the door. "But the good thing about looking hot and young again is, not that I didn't look hot and young before, that I can so say it right into Logan's face!" he announced and disappeared behind the door to the hangar, where Cap had already gathered the Avengers, Fury and Domino next to him, whereas Scott and the X-Men were already suited up, too. "Everyone here?" Tony asked. "I know, you don't have to say it. You were only waiting for me."

"We are always waiting for you," Hawkeye countered and gave the man a look over. "You too… Does anyone know what the hell happened and why the older ones had a facelift?"

"No one does and to be honest, I don't care right now," Rictor said and entered, followed by Shatterstar and Madrox. "Just in case you haven't noticed but the grounds are full of MRDs!"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Hawkeye replied and made sure his bow was ready for action.

"Where the hell are Logan and Jean?" Scott asked and had noticed that the X-Force group stood separate from the X-Men. He had to admit that Tony had done a very nice job on the grey-black uniforms.

"Still not back from whatever they are doing," Iceman replied.

"You're kidding, right?" Scott asked and crossed his arms. "No one knows where they are?" he asked into the round and was met with silence. "Well, fine then. We'll do it the following way…"

"Uhm, Logan gave the order to not follow you… Just saying," Kitty told him.

"Logan, is not here, or is he?" Scott replied harshly. "The Avengers will take over the left wing, the Fantastic Four the right wing. Tony, Storm and Living Torch will take care of the air. Watch those Sentinels! One blast is enough to kill you!" he warned them.

"The MRD have probably anti-mutant weapons," Cap went on and looked at everyone. "So watch out and make sure they don't hit you! Everyone is equipped with communication devices. In case you need help, don't hesitate and call for help!"

"The Sentinels are weak at the back. They've got a small hole there, probably to hook them up to computers. If you can, try to hit them right there!" Mister Incredible added. "But no matter what…stay AWAY from their lasers! They are deadly!" he warned them once more and looked to his left as Quicksilver entered, followed by Creed, John Logan and Deadpool.

"The children are evacuated. Everyone else has also been brought to the safe-house," Quicksilver let them know. "Genosha is in full lock down mode. I bought us some time by activating all installed traps. They should be occupied for now," he said and came to a halt next to Cyclops. "No matter what, we can't let them breach the walls. Once they made it inside we will be in some serious shit!"

Creed simply smirked. "More for me then…," he growled and glared at Cyclops as he noticed the man looking into his direction. "Told ya I wouldn't wear that shit!" he grunted, indicating the uniform with it.

"Hey, what team's mine?" Deadpool asked after looking into the round. "Can I choose?"

"No, you can't! You'll be staying with X-Force!" Cap said and shrugged when Cyclops' head turned into his direction. "Is everyone ready and knows what to do?" he asked into the round but was interrupted as the door opened and Northstar came to a halt next to the X-Men.

"Has anyone seen Jamie?" he asked breathlessly and waited for a reply.

"Is he not with the others?" Hank asked and received a 'no' from the speedster.

Storm sighed and ran a hand through her white hair. "I hope he didn't choose know to head off on a nightly stroll again…," she said and let her hand fall.

"No… He didn't…," a male voice suddenly said to their right and their heads turned into the direction of a rather tall, lean but muscular, dark haired man, who gave all of them a shy smile and look but came slowly closer.

"Who the hell are you?" Cap asked and tightened the grip on his shield, eyeing the man suspiciously.

Creed and John sniffed, then looked confused and surprised. "It's the kid…," Creed grunted and crossed his arms, head tilted a bit. "Just….how?"

"It's who?" Iron Man asked confused and let Jarvis analyze the man that was now shyly standing next to Cyclops.

"Of course…," Beast nodded and stepped forwards to pat the man's shoulder. "My boy…last time we saw you all grown up you were still a teenager," he said with a smile.

"I'm kind of still a teenager, Uncle Hank…" The man scratched the back of his head but became serious. "I heard Phoenix's call. But I can only stay for thirty minutes. I can't keep up my power for longer over such a great distance, so we need to hurry!" His green eyes looked at Cyclops, who nodded.

"You'll stay with the X-Men then," Scott said and received a nod. "Okay, let's go!"

While walking towards the exit, Cap grabbed Beast's arms and nodded at the dark haired man who was walking next to Cyclops and listened to his instructions. "I don't get it. Who is he?"

"Jamie," Beast simply said and received a confused look. "That boy contains Logan's and Jean's full power. His powers are practically limitless."

"So…he can switch bodies with himself…?" Cap asked.

"We don't know how Jean's or his powers work," Beast shrugged. "But obviously he can feel if something is wrong and connect to himself. In the end, a much older Logan warned our Jean of Apocalypse kidnapping Jamie before the boy was even born. The future contains some surprises, my friend." Their ways split as the Avengers continued heading to their starting point, whereas the X-Men had already reached theirs.

"Sinister is on the boat in the back. They have another psychic on it, too," Jamie told them, eyes glowing like fire as he checked out their surroundings. "Their order is to kill on sight. No survivors allowed," he informed them after reading some soldiers minds.

"Can you tell us how many soldiers there are?" Cyclops asked.

Concentrating, the young man nodded. "456 soldiers, 25 Sentinels. Apocalypse is here too… "

"Fuck…," Iceman cursed.

"What, shitting your pants, Popsickle?" Pyro mocked and received a glare upon which he simply smirked arrogantly.

"Still no sign of the Professor or Magneto?" Cyclops asked Quicksilver, who shook his head. "Okay." He paused and checked his intercom. "Avengers and Fantastic Four are ready." He turned to Jamie. "If you can, immobilize as many soldiers as you can. Don't overexert yourself! Teams, strike on three! One, two…"

"Party time!" Deadpool shouted and they ran through the opening door, a psychic blast going past them that took out around 100 soldiers at once.

Iron Man aimed straight for a Sentinel, shot his repulsors at him while thunderbolt after thunderbolt struck another Sentinel to his far right. He evaded the giant arms of the robot and struck again and again.

"_Sir? According to my calculations these Sentinels are different from the previous ones. They are equipped with stronger armor that weaken attacks and reduce them to 10% of their actual strength,"_ Jarvis informed him.

"Shit…," Tony cursed and sent the information to every single team member. "They learned… Try to find a weak point in that armor, Jarvis. And hurry up!" he ordered and evaded another attack as his eyes saw what else was soaring through the sky. "And there he is again…" Hoping that the surprise moment was still on his side he aimed his repulsor at Archangel, but the rider of the Apocalypse evaded his attack with ease. "Hey, Wonder Boy, can you do something about him?" he asked.

"How many more times do I have to tell you not to call me that, Uncle Tony?" Jamie muttered and used his powers to make the angel fall from the sky. "Sorry, Uncle Warren…," he apologized and aimed his psychic blasts at the approaching soldiers, taking them down next. His eyes watched how all four teams fought relentlessly against the attack waves of their enemies, watched how Iron Man, Storm and Living Torch now joined the fight against one Sentinels in hope to be able to take it down, but more and more were approaching. His eyes fell on his wrist band that told him he had already used 50% of his time. "Mom? You need to hurry up or they will die…," he spoke out loud and felt the soothing effect in his mind almost immediately.

On the far left, Cap slammed his shield into the face of one MRD soldier and threw it into the direction of five others while he shot his gun at another two. His chest hurt, the still not fully healed wounds burning almost unbearably against the fabric. But he didn't care. He had a mission and he would go through with it. "Bucky!" he called as he saw that his sidekick was being ambushed. Reacting, the man threw himself quickly to the ground, the bullets hitting the chest of an MRD instead of him. "Watch out!"

"Thanks!" Bucky shouted back over the noise and his two bullets didn't miss their aims, they hit two soldiers straight in the head. "They are too many!"

"Quit that whining!" Hawkeye cursed and shot arrow after arrow at their approaching enemies.

"I'm not whining, it's a fact!" Bucky snapped and went on shooting, knowing that Domino and Fury now had his back. His eyes briefly darted towards Iron Man, who had still not succeeded into taking the Sentinel down. "Damn it!" he cursed and felt how another psychic wave stroke his skin as Jamie took care of another group of MRD. "Boy!" he shouted and the man looked into his direction. "Can you take on these?" he asked and pointed at the Sentinels.

"I can't. I'd use up too much power!" Jamie shouted back and blocked the bullets that had been aimed at him. "I've to wait with it." His eyes fell on Deadpool and Creed who had obviously decided to create a tag-team. Both were hacking and slashing their way through the enemy lines, calling numbers after one more enemy was dead. "They think it's a game…," he sighed with a shake of his head and figured, that from what he heard, that Creed was winning up to now. His eyes darted down and he began to panic. 78%... He was running out of time…

"Jarvis, it would be really appreciated, if you hurried up!" Tony shouted and dived as the Sentinel tried to catch him. On the ground, as far as he could see, Archangel was slowly getting up again, so he made use of that chance and dived again to slam right into the man. After he had successfully knocked him unconscious, he rose into the air again and flew through those Sentinels once more.

"Colossus, Iceman and Gambit, take over the right!" Cyclops shouted and blasted a group of approaching MRDs. He turned his head quickly to see how the rest was doing. Invisible Woman had stayed with the children, the Thing was slamming his way through a group of five, whereas Mister Fantastic was fighting with another three soldiers. X-Force was doing okay with Shatterstar cutting and slashing his way through the soldiers with his swords, and Rictor using his seismic ability to throw their enemy off guard. Deadpool and Creed were still having their own private "who kills the most"-championship, while John was currently going through the lines in his ghost form and used his claws to finish the soldiers off. However, the Sentinels gave them a hard time…

"Watch out!" Beast called and slammed into him right in time for a beam of a Sentinel to hit the ground he had been standing on.

"Thanks…," Cyclops breathed and used his optic blast on the robot above them. "We can't fight them off!" he cursed since the robot remained complete unfazed by it.

"I know," Beast said and was already aiming for another group of soldiers.

"You…just made Remy mad…," Gambit cursed as he noticed the hole in his uniform and glared at the five soldiers in front of him that were ready to shoot him. "Really…mad!" he said and threw his cards at them first before he attacked them with his stick. The cards had barely exploded as his stick hit the soldiers one after the next, before he kicked them into the head. His gleaming eyes looked up at the Sentinel above him and he felt another wave of fury coming up. Gripping his cards, he headed straight towards the robot.

"_Mutant identified as Gambit,"_ the robot said and aimed his attack at the X-Man on the ground. _"Execute!"_

"Gambit!" Kitty barked as she watched how her friend took hold of the Sentinel's leg and touched it with both hands. While the robot was trying to shake the X-Man off, Gambit's eyes and body began to glow as he used all the power he got on their enemy.

"Dis…is for Marie 'n my son!" he cursed and charged the robot with every ounce of energy he could gather, before he blew the Sentinel up.

"Remy!" Iceman shouted as the wave of the explosion threw all of them completely off guard and he landed hard on the ground. As his vision had cleared again, his eyes grew wide as he saw that Gambit was lying dazed on the ground while the Sentinel was still looming above him, foot raised and ready to kill the X-Man. "REMY!" he barked and had just gotten up to head over for help, as did Colossus and Shadow Cat, as the Sentinel was suddenly folded like paper and the remaining steel ball thrown into the ocean. Confused, Iceman looked around, knowing that only one man had the power to do this. He was proven right as he noticed Magneto walking up towards them, clearly angry about the attack. It was then, that Iceman noticed the second person following Magneto and his eyes grew wide. "P…Professor?"

"Yes, I know it's unbelievable, Bobby," the much younger Charles Xavier said and looked at the scenery. "Erik, this is worse than expected…"

Magneto, who looked as if he was in his early to mid thirties again, gave him a dark look. "They made a mistake, Charles. And they'll pay for this!" he replied and took hold of another Sentinel, crushing him in a single blow. "No one comes here, attacking my home without dying!"

"Remy?" Colossus asked and helped the dazed man up. "I'll take him inside!" he told them and headed towards the house again, as a giant wave suddenly hit and threw all of them to the ground.

On the ship far away from them, Sinister smirked in satisfaction. "Yes, use up all of your strength and think you can make it," he sighed and gave his master a look. "Everything is going according to plan, master. As Romulus predicted."

Only nodding, Apocalypse remained seated on his makeshift-throne. "They will die today."

"Of course they will," Romulus grinned and watched how something big exploded. "They think they can win, not knowing that they are fighting against windmills…," he muttered and pulled the dark-haired woman, who was watching the whole war with fear in her eyes, close.

As Cap came by again and realized that they were encircled by Sentinels his heart fell. "Shit…"

"Shit indeed… They rounded us up!" Hawkeye noticed since behind them the other teams were also backing off into their direction. "Fuck!"

"_Mutant rebels caught,"_ the Sentinel to his left said and all of them reacted simultaneously. They raised their glowing hands. _"Execute!"_

"Erik…," Charles said and stared at the beam that the Sentinel right in front of him was gathering.

"You should know that even I can't get rid of 22 Sentinels at once, Charles!" Erik snapped and wanted to attack one but decided against it. It would be of no use. He looked around and realized that those robots had indeed nearly caught all of them at once. "Damn it…"

"Guys," Jamie said, after realizing that his belt showed 95%, "get down. I'll use the last power I have here to buy you time…" Concentrating on the Sentinels, his eyes began to glow like fire first and a blink of an eye later his whole body was suddenly engulfed in flames, a giant fire bird hovering in the sky.

On his ship, Apocalypse got up, clearly angered. "You said Phoenix wasn't here!" he said angrily.

"She ain't!" Romulus said calmly. "Whoever that is, it ain't Phoenix!"

"It's him. Genesis," a monotone, female voice said behind him and he turned to look at the blonde, who was still strapped to the machine and looked more dead than alive.

"The boy…," Apocalypse growled and his eyes narrowed to slits as he watched from afar how the firebird spread its wings, and created such a strong blast that they nearly fell off their ship. The jets crashed into the ocean, many Sentinels exploded while the others were pushed far away and took damage.

"Jamie…," Charles gasped impressed and watched how the man landed again, breathing heavily and his eyes fell on the belt that switched to 100%, beeping warningly.

"I can't stay for longer. Wait for her. She'll be here soon!" Jamie managed to say before he disappeared and his two-year old version was back, looking at his surrounding in confusion.

"What a powerful boy…," Erik said impressed and was about to pick Jamie up as Charles already did, but not without giving him a warning look. Smirking, Erik simply shrugged and was about to turn his attention towards an approaching Sentinel, as Charles uttered a pained scream and dropped to the ground. "Charles!" the master of magnetism said, aiding his old friend.

"There…, " Charles gasped and held his head. "A telepath… On the ship…" He breathed hard and gritted his teeth. "Her powers… Unnatural…"

"Professor?" Shadow Cat asked and knelt down next to him, picking Jamie up.

"Stay with them and keep them safe!" Magneto demanded before heading off towards the approaching Sentinel.

"I know…that telepath…," Charles breathed and tried to fight against the strong psychic attack. "I know her…" He looked aside and watched how Magneto did his best to keep him safe. "Jean…where are you?" he thought and managed to block the next attack of that telepath. "She's strong…"

"That telepath?" Kitty asked and he nodded. "But it's not…Dark Phoenix, right?"

"No… No, it's not Jean… But I have met this mental structure before…," Charles replied and got slowly up again. "Kitty, take Jamie inside, will you?"

"Of course," she nodded and headed off, while he heaved a deep breath and concentrated on the telepath on the ship.

Unseen of him, Wolfsbane, Shatterstar and Rictor were fighting back to back close to the cliffs. Shatterstar had just cut through another soldier, a move that earned him an angry growl of Rhane, who fought in her werewolf form. Confused, he shrugged it off and was aiming for another soldier as Rictor made the ground shake to throw two approaching ones off. However, the seismic energy made the ground underneath him grumble dangerously.

"Ric, watch out the ground!" Rhane called and he tried to jump into safety but felt that he was already falling. "RIC!" she barked and was about to head for him as Shatterstar only shouted 'Julio!' and jumped after the man, grabbing him in mid-air and pulling him close. Helplessly, she watched how both men fell off the cliffs and into the darkness that lay beneath. Breathing heavily in shock, she waited for a sign of them but there was none. "No…," she whispered and didn't see the soldier coming for her. Only the shot of a bullet brought her back into reality.

"Don't sleep there!" Domino shouted and shot another soldier. "What is it?"

"Ric and Shatterstar fell of the cliff… I…I can't see them…," Rhane breathed, still in shock and watched how Domino looked over the edge, sighing heavily.

"Listen, Rhane," the pale woman said and put a hand to her shoulder. "If they fell from that height…they are most likely dead. There's nothing but rocks down there… We need to keep fighting! There's nothing we can do for them anymore!" she explained, her voice full of regret for her two friends. "C'mon! I need your help here!"

Only nodding, but feeling dazed as hell, Wolfsbane followed her back into battle. A battle that they were once more losing. More and more soldiers seemed to appear out of nowhere, the remaining Sentinels were back to attacking them full force and the teams had more to do with evading the attacks than anything else.

"It's useless…," Cyclops cursed and pressed a hand to his intercom. "Narya, get everyone into the two jets and get out. Fly to another country and keep them safe! We can't stop…" He paused as a jet suddenly appeared right above them and flew on autopilot to the hangar after two people had jumped out of it. "Forget what I said!" he quickly said and watched how Logan, dressed in his X-Force uniform landed first, already claws out and charging at a group of soldiers, while Phoenix, also dressed in her black X-Men uniform with a golden phoenix emblem on the front, landed gracefully in the snow next, clearly angered. "Where the hell have you been?" Cyclops shouted and wanted to head towards her as she used a strong psychic wave to attack the MRD and Sentinels at once.

"Jean!" Charles called and she turned. "Those Sentinels…," he began but she already nodded, clearly confused about his looks.

"I know. _He_ told me," she simply said and wrapped all of Genosha into a cocoon, before she looked over to what Logan was doing.

Relentlessly, he cut his way through the enemy lines, knowing that Creed was coming his way. "Back t' back?" Logan shouted and felt the satisfied grin his brother was giving him, before his back touched his.

"Just like old times," Creed smirked and licked his canines. Both roared at the approaching soldiers and the brawl began as the first bullet went straight through Logan's shoulder. Both brothers didn't have to look at the other to know what the sibling was doing. They were moving like one person, one body, Logan ducking when Victor lashed out, Creed tilting his head to the right, when Logan rammed his claws through a soldier's head. There was no stopping them, never had been. They were still as deadly as they had been in all those wars they had been fighting in together. Not caring about the blood, their own and those of their enemies, they fought until the snow was painted crimson red all around them.

"Animals in human bodies…," Magneto sighed and his eyes fell upon Jean, who easily took out two Sentinels at once. "I'll never understand what a goddess like you sees in an animal like him…," he muttered and blocked the bullets coming his way, before he made the grenades on the soldiers' belts explode.

Sinister turned to his master as this one got up, clearly enraged. "Master?"

"I'll go myself," he announced and was about to teleport, as Romulus stepped forward.

"Take me with ya. I've got some business t'finish" the feral growled and suddenly found himself standing o the cliff, the woman, to his surprise too. He growled in dissatisfaction. "She was supposed t' stay in safety!"

"That's not of my concern!" he heard Apocalypse saying in his mind and turned towards the woman, handing her his warm coat. "Stay here where yer safe, Elisabeth!" Romulus said and headed towards the battle, clearly feeling her eyes upon him.

While he was still fighting next to his brother, Logan saw out of the corner of his eyes how Jean took care of another group of soldiers and two Sentinels. But he also saw the huge shadow behind her that she didn't seem to notice, yet. Not waiting any longer he began to run as if his life depended on it, saw how Apocalypse's arm turned into a canon and how light began to gather in it. "Jean!" Logan barked and she gave him a surprised look as he already pushed her aside and took the hit for her. Not knowing what exactly Apocalypse had used, his vision turned instantly black and he didn't feel how he crashed to the ground anymore, nor saw how the others stopped fighting and gave him a shocked look. The flesh had nearly been completely burned off and the silver adamantium skeleton shined through.

Seeing it, Creed and John Logan roared furiously, Creed's eyes turning completely black while Johns began to shine red, and both became more brutal and vicious in their way of fighting. From where he was standing, Charles watched how Jean stared at what had remained of Logan in shock. "Oh no…," he muttered and saw how Apocalypse had started another attack too late. He called her name, watched horrified how a radiant blast shot out of Apocalypse's canon and aimed straight for the redhead, who was kneeling next to her husband and staring at him with wide eyes. However, the blast hit an invisible wall and the ground suddenly began to shake heavily. At the same time, a gigantic psychic wave shot into every direction and threw everyone, Apocalypse included to the ground. "Jean, no!" Charles barked as he saw how her uniform changed from black to scarlet red, her hair glowing like fire and her body becoming engulfed in flames.

"What's happening?" Cap asked him and he, too, watched how the furious Phoenix turned slowly around and glared at Apocalypse with demonic, black eyes.

"She's out of control…," the Professor replied and his eyes followed Dark Phoenix, who rose into the air, eyes still locked on Apocalypse, who, too, used his powers and maximized his body.

"Out of control?" Domino shouted over the noise of the screeching firebird that spread its wings angrily.

"It's…like Wolverine. Just far more dangerous and far more powerful," Charles told her and watched the glaring contest from afar. "No one can stop her! We can only pray that she will attack our enemies only."

"What if she won't?" Fury asked and came to a halt next to him.

"Then she'll kill us all… Only Logan can stop her…," Charles swallowed and his eyes looked at the still burned body of the Wolverine.

"I've got enough of you, you pestilent woman!" Apocalypse loud voice roared through the darkness. "Bow to me or die!"

Tilting her head unimpressed, Dark Phoenix simply raised an eyebrow and smirked. With so much as a blink of her eye, she sent a wave through the whole area. Water and snow began to rise, gravity was turned upside down as she bent the world to her will and made its inhabitants to her marionettes. "You think you can give me orders?" she hissed and her eyes burned with a furious black fire. "I am life and fire incarnate, you fool…and _you_…will bow to my will, relict of the past!" To make her standpoint clear, she spread her arms and sent a shockwave through the area that vaporized all soldiers and Sentinels immediately.

Roaring in fury, Apocalypse used his powers against her and their battle was on in full force. The more he attacked, the more Dark Phoenix blocked and both began to show no mercy anymore. Not only were they fighting, also their astral forms were battling each other at full force, the wind they created throwing water and ice through the air, storms rushing into every direction.

"What are we supposed to do?" Cyclops asked and came to a halt next to Charles, a spot where all of them were gathering. "If she manages to beat him and won't stop…then we are next!"

"I know…," the Professor said and watched the war above them. He could only hope that Phoenix was strong enough to deal with Apocalypse… "Come on, Jean…," he muttered and shielded his eyes as the firebird began to glow, then screeched and went right through Apocalypse's blast, hitting her adversary straight in the chest and bringing him down.

"Woah!" Iron Man made and opened his visor, watching how Dark Phoenix kept on with her attack, smiling viciously at her prey, who tried to fight off her attack. From the corner of his eye he saw a silver light for a brief moment, but realized too late that Archangel had started an attack to help his master. "Shit, Jean behind you!" he barked as the metal-wing was already coming down on her, but all of a sudden, Archangel crashed into the snow, a furious Wolverine above him.

"No!" the beast growled and didn't care that Archangel's wing was stuck in his stomach, blood oozing out of the wound and painting the silver wing scarlet-red. He was about to finish his prey off for attack his mate as Dark Phoenix slammed the Horseman into the snow hard several times. Looking up to her, Wolverine remained ready for attacking anything that dared to attack his mate, his eyes instantly falling upon Romulus, who was charging at him at full speed. Growling, Wolverine met him half way and also a furious Sabretooth joined the battle against his father. In the meantime, Dark Phoenix was still using her full force against Apocalypse, melting him like a supernova did a planet while he was desperately trying to block her attack. As a pained whimper echoed through the night and Dark Phoenix turned her head just to watch how a limp Creed was thrown off the cliff by Romulus, who had then cut straight through Wolverine's throat in one blow, Apocalypse used his chance and teleported away, much to Dark Phoenix anger. Furiously, she slammed her force into the ocean, creating a tsunami with it that aimed straight for the ship of their enemies. However, the wave was blocked.

"Jean!" Charles shouted and her black eyes fell upon him but she set off to follow Apocalypse's ship. His eyes were instantly back on Romulus, who kept on attacking his son with a fury that couldn't be matched. "Logan is still healing, we need to help him!" Charles ordered since the feral had trouble getting up at all.

"On it!" Cap said and, followed by Beast, Hawkeye and Storm, set off to attack Romulus, who merely grinned at them.

"I'm disappointed, son," Romulus chuckled and lashed out as Logan was just about to get up, tearing the feral's back open "Needin' yer friends for help? What are ya, a man or a baby?" he mocked and received an angry growl from his son. He evaded the claws and ducked as Cap's shield was heading his way. He had, of course noticed, how John Logan, still in his ghost form, had reappeared from far down the cliff and dropped a bloody, wet but furious Creed next to him. Chuckling, he leapt at Logan again and again, knowing that he had the upper hand and his son's friends were hesitant to attack while Logan was standing so close to him. "Yer nothin', ya hear me? Yer weak, a complete disappointment! That bitch has made ya weak, son! Or was it rather yer dear, soft _daddy_ John?" he mocked.

"SHUT UP!" Logan roared and leapt at him again, but was greeted by dozen razor sharp claws that gutted him open like a pig. Dazed, he hit the ground and turned just in time to see how his father leapt at him again, claws first. However, the claws never hit him. He couldn't tell what, but something had gotten between them, something dressed in a black coat through which the dozen claws were sticking, something that was beginning to bleed heavily…

"Why…?" he heard Romulus breathing and he quickly retracted his claws, still staring at the woman in front of him in shock. "WHY?"

"He's…our…_my_ son, Thomas!" Elisabeth gasped and dropped to the ground before he could catch her.

Reaching out to touch her, Romulus suddenly felt how he was teleported back to the ship, the body of his love remaining on the island. While the furious howl could still be heard in Genosha, Logan was slowly getting up, breathing heavily as he realized who had saved him from the fatal blow in the end. His hazel eyes stared at the woman in shock, who wasn't even trying to stop all the blood from leaving her body. He also didn't notice how Dark Phoenix landed next to him, not understanding why he was so upset and cradling that mortal in his arms.

"Why did ya do that?" Logan asked desperately and stared at his mother, who merely looked up at him through dazed eyes. His whole body was quivering, the hate forgotten for now as she reached out to touch his face with her bloody hand. All that remained was fear, naked fear. He suddenly felt like the little boy again, who had seen how Thomas Logan had shot his father, who had watched how his father had died right in front of him, who had learned that the man he hated most was his real father… But he couldn't hate her, never hated her for throwing him out, for throwing those destructive words at him, for hating him…

"I…should have stopped him…long ago, James…," his mother whispered and blood began to flow out of her mouth. Her eyes briefly fell on John, who had knelt down next to his brother and was also staring at her in shock. She stroked over Logan's cheek lovingly as tears ran down her cheeks. "You and Thomas are different…," she breathed in painfully, "I've been so wrong, James, so wrong…," she cried and felt how John took her free hand into his whereas Logan was still cradling her. "He…is a monster… I thought…there was still…good in him… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry for…everything I've said…and done to you… Forgive me, please…," she begged and felt how life became less within her with every drop of blood that left her.

Shaking his head, Logan closed his eyes briefly and swallowed hard, unable to hold back his tears. No matter what she had done and said to him, no matter how painful her words had been, he still loved her as much as ever. "It's alright…," he croaked and sniffed. "I forgive ya…" Returning the smile she was giving him, he wanted to take the hand she was offering him. However, as their fingers touched hers fell limply into the snow and her eyes couldn't see him anymore. Staring at her, he reached carefully out to close her eyes, not caring about his tears or that his friends saw him that way, not caring that his body was hurting badly and his healing factor demanded to shut his system down until he was strong enough again. All he cared about at the moment was the woman in his arms, his mother that had be taken away from him by the same man who had already murdered his father, had made his life hell for years on end, had forced him to become an adult as a child. The same man who had also screwed up his firstborn beyond any repair, who had done things to his son that he didn't even dare to name…

Raising his head, Logan looked straight into his brother's face. Compared to his, John's face was void of emotions, completely unreadable as he looked down on his mother's dead body, the mother who hadn't done anything to get him out of the hell he'd been in for 50 years, the mother who had just forgotten about him. He didn't know what to feel. He wasn't really sad but also not angry, he just felt empty and nothing. Looking up, John gave his younger brother a confused, helpless look, hoped to find an answer in his face, but all John could see was anguish and sorrow.

Confused, Domino reached out to touch Charles' shoulder. "Who was she?" she asked since she had never seen Logan this way and watched how he carefully laid the woman down and folded her hands on her chest, before he tried to get up but was swaying so much that Creed grabbed his arm for support.

"Their mother," was all Charles wanted to say and watched how Logan went over to face Dark Phoenix, who was still watching the whole scenery in confusion. "Let's hope he can make her change back…," he muttered and exchanged a brief look with Erik.

Breathing heavily, Logan fought to stand straight and focused on Dark Phoenix, who simply stared back at him, void of any emotion. "Let Jean take control again…," he said and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Please…"

Walking up towards him and glaring straight into his face, Dark Phoenix simply huffed and closed her eyes. It only took a moment and the uniform changed from scarlet red to black again, and for Jean to resurface. Blinking, she took in her surrounding in confusion before she noticed the shape Logan was in. Reaching out, she caught his fall halfway as he dropped to his knees. "Are you all right?" she asked gave him a look over. "What happened?"

"He…killed her…," Logan panted and looked behind him.

Following his gaze while cradling his head in her arms, Jean recognized the woman on the ground. She never liked that woman, disliked her for everything she had done to him. Still seeing her dead was a different case. "I'm sorry…," she said and gave him a look. "Can you make it to the inside?" she asked and helped him up with her powers after he had nodded.

"I'll take care of her," John simply said and pulled his mother's body up to carry her inside. It was then that he picked up on desperate sounding calls from somewhere to his left. "Someone is calling for help over there," he told the group without looking at them and went inside.

Cap sighed. "Okay, the wounded will go straight to the med bay, those that are feeling strong enough, help those that can't walk alone! We'll meet in one hour for debriefing!" He beckoned Tony and Spider-Man to follow him and headed for the cliff. Seeing where they were heading, Rhane quickly followed them. "Can you guys get us down there?"

"Sure," Tony said and took hold of him and Peter of Rhane. Together they landed on the beach that was far down the cliff and immediately saw who the source of all that calling was.

"Ric!" Rhane said in relief and ran straight towards her friend, who was cradling a lifeless and bloody Shatterstar in his arms and was quivering in shock. "Are you okay?" she asked and cupped his face, taken aback as she noticed his tears and panic.

"That idiot caught my fall," Rictor told Cap, sniffing and stroked gently through Shatterstar's red hair. "He's not reacting…"

"Let me see," Cap said and began to check up on the unconscious man, feeling the wound on the back of the man's head. "He's alive, okay?" he told Rictor as neutral as possible to not shock the man any further. "We'll take him to the med bay and they will take care of both of you! But in order to help your friend, you need to let go of him, alright?" he asked and looked at Rictor, who nodded and allowed Tony to fly Shatterstar up. "Can you walk?" Cap asked and helped the man up, who staggered more than he was able to walk.

"I'll take him," Rhane said and turned into her werewolf form to carry Rictor with ease, surprised that the man was light as a feather. "I thought ya were dead ya idiot!" she cursed and followed the two men up again.

"I can't lose him, Rhane…," Rictor whispered and she finally realized that he indeed loved Shatterstar with all is heart. "I can't lose him…"

"Ya won't, ya hear me?" she replied even though she felt the pain in her heart, knowing that she had no chance with him anymore. "What's he supposed ta think if ya sit next ta his bed all sobbin' like a girl?" she cursed and tried to hide her pain.

* * *

While the wounded were being taken cared for some of the rest of the teams had gathered in Magneto's room and sat on the various couches and chairs. The master of magnetism smirked at the noticeable animosity between Logan, Jean-Paul and Scott, who sat away from them on his side of the room. He waited for the next fight, to him it could only be minutes before one of them would start again. He looked aside as he felt Charles eyes on him.

"First of all…," Charles said, still clearly amazed that he was able to move his legs, and looked at Jean, "I'd like to know what you were thinking, Jean…?", he asked and folded his hands, his eyes looking at her intently while she was sitting next to Logan, holding his hand. "Or better said…I'd like to know _how_ you did it because I don't understand how _this _is only remotely possible," he added, pointing at Erik, who was looking at Jean intently, and himself.

Unable to face him, Jean began to play with the hair on Logan's arm nervously, feeling how he squeezed her shoulder in support. "I don't remember doing it…," she muttered and leant more into Logan as he pulled her closer.

"You don't remember doing it…," Charles repeated and sighed. "Jean, how can you not remember using a power strong enough to turn half of the team back into its early thirties?" he asked in utter disbelief and looked at Tony as this one cleared his throat.

"Early twenties in my case because this is how I feel!" he commented and looked around. "Sorry, proceed, please!"

"Maybe…," Erik began and returned the glare he was immediately given by Logan, "…she used it unconsciously and really doesn't remember. Right, Jean?" he asked and smiled at her when she raised her head briefly, much to Logan's dislike. He nodded back when she nodded briefly. "You said yourself, Charles, that her powers are limitless. And she could have done something way more harmful than making us younger, don't you think?" he said, steepling his fingers, receiving a knowing look from Charles.

"Possessing limitless power also means controlling that much power! You should know best, Erik!" Charles reprimanded him and turned back to Jean. "What were you thinking?"

"She said she doesn't remember, so leave her the hell alone, Chuck!" Logan warned him. "It was Dark Phoenix's doin' n' not Jean's!"

"So you saw it?" the Professor asked and got up.

"I heard her sayin' somethin' 'bout changin' _it_, then there was a blast 'n I blacked out," Logan explained and it earned him a confused look from the redhead and Northstar.

"You didn't black out," the latter said and Logan cocked an eyebrow at him. "And I haven't seen her using a blast either…."

"Well, I did… 'n I can't remember how I got into that jet either," Logan grunted.

This time it was Jean, who raised her eyebrow at him. "After I was done and said that it didn't work out, you went straight to the hangar, Logan," she told him and could tell that he was as confused as she was.

"As I said… The blast hit me 'n I passed out…"

"Maybe…," Charles began after he had looked out of the window for a while and turned around, clearly in thought, "…maybe part of Logan indeed blacked out," he concluded and all eyes were on him. "Everyone over the age of forty passed out. Logan is 122 years old, so the only logical explanation would be, if part of him passed out due to his dual personality," Charles explained and crossed his arms. His eyes fell on John and Victor. "Did you black out by any chance?"

"Was sleepin'…," Creed grunted and looked away, but John was nodding.

"That might explain it…," Charles concluded and set down on Erik's desk. "Next point of discussion… Where the hell have you been?"

It was once more Tony, who raised his hand. "May I?" he asked but started babbling away anyway. "Before this discussion will go out of hand, I only want to add that they created a mission log. They were in New York, hunting down Shinobi Shaw. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" he asked Jean, who simply nodded.

"And creating a mission log makes their disappearance any better?" Scott asked sourly.

"Well, compared t' someone specific we at least let others know where we went," Logan growled and received a huff.

"And leaving the team behind in this case is better because?"

"I dunno, maybe because no one returned dead?" Logan snapped, eyes narrowed to slits. "Compared t' another secret mission ya went on without lettin' anyone know, Summers!"

"Well, compared to your secret mission, my secret mission at least had a significant purpose!" Scott snapped back angrily.

"Which was t' kill off my son?" Logan sent right back at Cyclops, whose eyes were also narrowed to slits behind his visor, which gleamed dangerously red.

"What happened," Charles began and stepped between the two angry men, "is already bad enough! There's no need to let this drive a wedge into the team!"

"Oh, it ain't drivin' one into _my_ team," Logan mocked and crossed his arms. "What about yours, Summers? Oh, right… Ya ain't on no team currently!"

"It's enough!" Charles said before Scott could throw something back at Logan this time. "As I said, that Akihiro is dead is already bad enough but we as a team need to stick together now! You have seen how destructive our enemies are and they know we are here!"

"How actually?" Cap asked and listened to Jean's explanation of what Shinobi Shaw had told them.

"We should have checked this bullet better…," Hank cursed angrily.

"It's not your fault, Hank!" Charles soothed him. "However, it doesn't make our situation any better…"

"We should strike," Erik suggested and crossed his legs, still steepling his fingers. "Jean nearly beat him. He must be still weak and they wouldn't reckon with a strike so soon!"

"_She_ beat him because she was angry enough," Jean disagreed. "I don't have access to her power…" She began to frown as he once more gave her this weird look and avoided his gaze.

"Jean, you are Class 5! Your powers are limitless," Erik began but was cut off by Charles' look.

"We can not rely on her alone, Erik! And Dark Phoenix's power is way too uncontrollable and unstoppable!"

Leaning back in his chair, Erik simply smirked at his old friend. "I think she did just fine. I told you before you should stop turning this goddess into a mere mortal, Charles!"

"And I told you to stop manipulating my team!" Charles warned him and looked up when there was a knock on the door. "Come in, Peter!" He turned back around and watched the young man coming inside, followed by James and Hawkeye.

"We…," the Russian began and looked at Logan and John uncomfortably. "You can…bury her now. Kurt's ready too," he finished and received nods.

"Thanks, Pete!" Logan grunted and cleared his throat, then got up.

"Logan…," Hank began and made the man stop at the door. "You…might want to consider… Your son…," he was at a loss of words but could tell by the look Logan was giving him that he had understood what he was indicating. "He won't heal…, my boy…"

"I know…," Logan muttered and made room for Jean-Paul as this one left the room quickly. He waited for Jean to join him before he left too, knowing that the speedster was standing around the next corner. He went over to him, draping an arm around the devastated man's shoulder and walked with him towards the infirmary where Daken's body still lay. "See it like that… We at least tried, okay?" he said, trying to control his sorrow and received a sniff and a nod from the speedster. They came to a halt in front of the door and he thought his heart would burst in his chest. Only thinking about burying his mother AND son was too much for him to handle. The emotions from Northstar he picked up on did the rest. He only wanted to run…

"Hank and I…," Jean began and put a hand to his shoulder, "…we can prepare him…," she offered and he nodded. "Do you…want to see him once more?"

Logan shook his head. "I can't…," he croaked and kept his eyes on the ground, but Northstar looked up.

"Yes…," he said and Jean nodded, beckoning him to go inside then.

"Take your time," she told him and went over to hug Logan to show him her support. She had barely did so as Jean-Paul came storming out of the room, eyes wide. "What is it?" Jean asked confused and also Logan was cocking an eyebrow.

"His body…it's gone!" the speedster panted, completely shocked and was only able to point at the door behind him.

"What?" Logan asked and stormed past him, looked into the room and stared at the table that was completely empty. "How is that possible?"

"Maybe Romulus was only a distraction?" Northstar said and came to a halt next to the silver table, his heart beating rapidly.

"Do you smell anyone else?" Jean asked Logan, who concentrated but shook his head.

"No, only him…," he muttered and his senses began to concentrate stronger on the scent of his son. "Only him…?" he repeated and gave the door that looked as sterile as the room a look before he headed out, concentrated again and looked to his right.

"What is it?" Jean asked and joined him together with Northstar.

"I smell only him. His scent goes there," Logan told her and pointed down the corridor. "Maybe ten minutes old."

"You think…?" Jean began and felt his confusion and fear of being wrong, the fear of getting his hopes up too much and then being disappointed again. "But I couldn't feel his consciousness, Logan… He was gone…," she said and could also tell that Northstar was too scared to get his hopes up too much. When Logan set off, they followed him.

"What's the matter?" Cap, who had been on his way to his room, asked since he could tell that something happened.

"Get a team together! Either someone took my son's body ten minutes ago, or he's walking around the grounds himself," Logan told him while walking past him and heard how Cap said 'Okay' before the man set off.

"Maybe someone took him who can disguise his scent?" Jean suggested. "I'll go and get a team ready too!"

"If that's the case, he's dead!" Logan growled to the first and went outside, starting into a jog with Northstar. He followed the scent through the snow, right towards the cliff and went down the small path that led down to the ocean. The scent became thicker, the air far colder due to the wind that blew from all sides. Logan raised a hand as he was able to make out a figure not too far away from them, and both came to a halt. He narrowed his eyes and sniffed, still confused about what he picked up on. His ears heard how Jean gave the team the directions on the upper level and it could only be moments before they would arrive here. While Northstar and he walked slowly closer towards the shadow, this one turned his head and looked straight at them. Logan frowned at the scent that couldn't be, at the shadow that began to back off until he realized that he had nowhere to go.

"What is it?" Northstar whispered since Logan's frown turned into utter surprise. Still, he refused to get his hopes up to much, the hurt went too deep… He followed Logan's hand as this one pointed between rocks in the water, and saw the shadow hiding there. However, he was also able to make out contours for the first time, and thought his heart would stop beating. "Hiro…," he muttered and set of into a run, stopping at the rocks as he noticed that the feral was trying to back off even further into the ice cold ocean. "What are you doing in the water?" he asked and looked aside as Logan came to a halt behind him. "It's freezing cold, Hiro, get out of there!" He began to frown as deep as Logan as he realized that Daken was looking to and fro between them, clearly scared for whatever reason. "What's the matter, baby?" he asked and exchanged a look with Logan, noticing the approaching team behind Logan's back, who came to a halt right behind the feral. They, too, were giving them confused looks that demanded answers to what was going on.

"Omae ga dare da?" he heard Daken suddenly asking and turned back into the feral's direction.

"What's he saying?" Ororo asked and noticed the shock look on Logan's face. "Logan?" Her eyes fell back on Daken, who grabbed his head, clearly freezing in the ice cold water, and seemed to be completely lost as hell.

"Boku ga dare da…?" she heard him muttering next and looked at Logan again in hope for a translation.

"He doesn't know who he is…," the feral told them, unsure whether he should be more shocked about that revelation or about his son being alive. "He doesn't remember anythin'…"

**I'm so sorry for the long delay. Those on Facebook following me know that I had to delay it because of college and my exams. The final thesis took longer than expected and I had one exam after the next. I really couldn't update at the end of June as I had promised. I hope I could somehow make up with this extra long chapter. It turned out to be 53 pages on WORD. Much more than I had planned. Since there have been some unexpected changes at college, I can update monthly again. So the ****next update**** will be around September 20-23. I hope you still like the story! Please review and let me know! Take care!**


	15. Chapter 13

**Author****'****s****note:**Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**Sorry for the late update. I had a major writer's block. Those following me on Facebook know. I'm also not satisfied with this chapter. It just came out wrong, I think.**

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**Lacey: I hope I got Daken right. Let me know, okay?**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 13**

"He doesn't remember…," Logan muttered once more and watched how his son, still hiding behind those rocks in the water, looked to and fro between them in a mix of panic and fear. He guessed that his instincts still worked perfectly well, that he would have killed, if someone had been in his way, that his instincts had told him to run, as had his when he had woken up in that foreign mansion back then, not knowing where he was. It hurt him to see his child so filled with fear and confusion.

"Omae ga dare da?" Daken asked once more, this time with more confidence behind his words than before.

"Does anyone know what he's saying?" Kitty asked and hugged herself against the cold.

"He wants to know who we are," Northstar said, still shocked to see his partner alive and more or less well. Carefully, he stepped forward and tried to recall the bit of Japanese Daken had managed to teach him. "Tomodachi desu…," he told him, his heart skipping a beat as Daken's eyes zoomed in on him. "Omae no koibito desu," he added and hoped he had pronounced it right with his French-Canadian accent that could annoy the hell out of some Americans, especially when he emphasized it on purpose. Daken's frown, however, was unreadable.

"Since when do ya speak Japanese?" Logan muttered into his direction and he shrugged.

"He taught me some…"

"I'm sure ya just confused the hell outta him by tellin' him yer his lover…"

"Well, I _am_his lover!" Jean-Paul replied and made Logan sigh heavily.

"Well, he'll probably rather believe yer his lover than that I'm his father…"

"Koibito…?" they heard Daken asking skeptically and the feral came forward a bit. "Hontou ni?"

Feeling how Logan pushed him forward a bit, Northstar gave him an odd look. "I don't speak that much Japanese!" he hissed but Logan made a gesture with his hand that indicated he should just go on. Muttering curses in his mother tongue, he turned back into Daken's direction, thinking hard. "Hai, hontou desu…," he tried and obviously it was right since the feral began to babble away, not minding that the speedster was coming closer at all. Since Jean-Paul didn't understand anything at all, he raised both hands to indicate that Daken should stop and came to a halt close to the rocks. "Uhm…chotto, chotto nihongo o hanashimasu…," he tried and received a nod. As his feet touched the water he became aware of how cold the ocean actually was. He looked up and realized that the feral was either wearing nothing or only briefs. He couldn't remember… So he pointed at the water, trying to remember the word for it. "Uh…kai…kai…," he tried and sighed since the word wouldn't come.

"Kaisui ka?" Daken asked and dared to come closer a bit, his senses telling him that the man had said the truth up to now, and that it was okay to trust him.

"Kaisui," Northstar nodded. "Samui!"

"Un," the feral said 'yes' in his native tongue and the only language he could remember at the moment, the only one that came naturally to him. But the man was right. The water was cold as hell, he could hardly feel his body anymore. He froze as said man held out his hand for him to take it. Could he trust him? And what about those strangers? His eyes darted towards them, unsure of what to do.

"Hiro?" the man asked and for whatever reason the feral turned back towards him; feeling familiar to that name and voice. "Daijoubu," the man told him and Daken didn't know why but his hand reached out to touch the one of that stranger that seemed so familiar somehow. He was pulled out of the cold and found himself stuck in a warm embrace, the man radiating joy and relief as his senses told him. He could even hear the quick _thump-thump-thump_ of the man's heart beating against his frozen chest. "I'm so glad to have you back, mon ami…," Northstar breathed into the feral's neck, closing his eyes in relief for a brief moment. "Ureshii…," he added the short-form so that Daken would understand him for now and cupped the man's face lovingly with one hand, once more realizing how frozen the feral was. "Daijoubu," he assured him again and began to lead him towards the group. "He's frozen solid, Logan!"

Nodding, the feral took off his hoody and handed it to Jean-Paul since Daken had startled the moment he had reached out. He didn't care that he was freezing. His healing factor would take care of it. Logan watched how his son gave him a skeptical look first but pulled the hoody over his head next, hugging himself to keep warm. "Bokutachi yori amari sakini ikanaiyouni," he told his son and motioned for him and the speedster to walk ahead of them.

Daken gave him and the group an indefinable look but followed Northstar up the path towards the metallic mansion. Inside, he stopped as Jean-Paul turned towards Logan.

"How do I tell him to take a hot shower so that he can warm up? And all the other stuff that he needs to know?" the speedster asked and noticed that Daken was looking at him. "I mean, he doesn't understand me…" He noticed that the feral was still holding on to his hand as he looked down, his dark hazel eyes telling him that he was scared. Automatically, he squeezed Daken's hand reassuringly and smiled at him.

"Tell me what ya wanna tell him," Logan said and waited, then translated everything into Japanese, assuring his son once more that he was in no danger and that it was okay to go with the speedster. He watched how his son gave him a barely noticeable nod and then left with Northstar. Sighing, he ran a hand over his face and wondered if his situation could get any worse…

It actually could since his brother and Kurt entered, asking him if he was ready for the funeral. He nodded and excused himself, was glad somehow that Jean joined him even though she disliked his mother greatly. It seemed to take forever for Kurt to speak the prayers and for John and him to bury their mother. He was still not sure what his older brother was thinking, but was well aware of how empty he would have felt, if Jean wasn't there with him and hugging his waist. Smiling at her, Logan pulled her closer and rested his head on hers while he watched how Kurt finished the ritual, then left to give them some space. He simply stood there and looked at the grave, not thinking anything at all, not sure what to feel. There was too much on his mind at the moment that a blank mind was the best for him at the moment. Logan could also not tell for how long they were standing there, but he still remained after the hole in the ground had long been closed and his mother buried for good.

"Are you all right?" Jean asked and held on to his hand.

He nodded.

"Are you sure or just saying it so that I won't worry?" she asked skeptically.

"I'm fine…," Logan assured her and put his arm around her shoulder to lead her back inside after a last glance at the grave. "Jeannie?"

"Hm?" she made and looked up at him, stopping at their room door.

"Will he be alright?" Logan asked and she knew who he was talking about.

"I don't know, Logan…," the redhead sighed. "I told you it could happen. In the end, his brain was practically…mash… So…his memory loss is most likely permanently…," she told him and he sighed. She wasn't so sure whether or not to say what she was thinking. "Do you promise not to get mad?"

Logan cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why would I be mad at ya, darlin'?" he asked, confused.

"I…actually think it's a good way for your son to start over, Logan," Jean said and he raised both eyebrows. "I mean it's bad that he doesn't know who he is, yes. But considering how traumatized he was and how much mental scar tissue he had… What Romulus did to him for decades… He can start over, Logan. He can learn to be happy and to live a life without the ghosts of his past. As harsh as this might sound now…"

"Yer right…," he cut her off and she gave him a surprised look. "What happened t'me was bad, the things I did 'n remember are bad, but it's nothin' compared t'what he's been through…," Logan said in a hushed voice and kissed her. "Don't ya ever think again that I' get mad at ya!" He looked up when Jean-Paul came to a halt next to him, carrying his grandson. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the French-Canadian said. "He's warming up in the shower. I just wanted to ask if you could take Kazu for a while.? I don't think it's so good if Hiro is confronted with the next shock so soon by getting to know that he has a son…"

"Sure, we'll take him," Jean smiled and took the tired boy from him. "I'll put him to bed!" she announced and went into the room, leaving Logan and Jean-Paul in the corridor.

"Yer gonna be alright?" Logan grunted and his opposite shrugged.

"My Japanese sucks, he doesn't understand or remember me, he startles as soon as he hears a noise or footsteps…," the speedster listed and sighed. "I don't know… As long as he doesn't stab me I guess I'll survive this night."

Nodding, Logan checked the corridor. "He seems t'trust ya," he said and glared at someone from the Brotherhood who walked past them. "What that fucker did t'him still goes straight t'the core…"

"What do you mean?" Northstar asked and crossed his arms.

"His reactions… Startlin' coz of noises, bein' afraid of people, mistrustin' people… He might not remember what's been done t'him but his body 'n insticts know…," Logan explained and received a nod. "Anyway, I know I can trust ya with him. So just wake us up in case somethin's wrong, okay?"

"D'accord… Bonne nuit!" Northstar said and turned to leave.

"Bonne nuit," Logan grunted and entered his room where Jean had just come out of the bathroom, already in night wear. "Kids are sleepin' already?" he asked and began to undress.

"Like logs," she replied and went under the covers, yawning. She watched sleepily how he went to check up on the children, then patted the dogs before he entered the bathroom and returned a few minutes later. Smiling, Jean snuggled up to him after he beckoned her to do so and hugged him back. "So tired…," she mumbled into his chest and was glad that he switched off the lights. Content in his embrace, she soon fell asleep, knowing that he would most likely be brooding for hours on end…

* * *

As Northstar returned to his room he heaved a deep breath before entering. He was surprised to find Daken in bed already, wearing one of his sweatpants and shirts. Smiling, he closed the door and walked over to the drawer to get some sleepwear out of it.

"Omae no…?" he heard the feral asking and turned around, just to see Daken pointing at the shirt and pants. He guessed that he was asking if they belonged to Northstar.

Jean-Paul waved off. "Daijoubu," he said and sighed. "I should have paid more attention to your Japanese lessons, I guess…"

"Nani?" Daken asked, frowning at him and watched how Northstar waved off, then went into the bathroom. Heaving a deep breath, he cuddled up to the pillow again, eyeing the room suspiciously. The stranger had told him that he was his lover but he couldn't spot a single picture of them in this room. The bed he was currently lying in was also for one person only, at least he thought so, another, smaller one standing at the wall to his far left… Even though he couldn't remember but he knew couples shared a bed, right? But then again he could clearly smell both of them on the pillows of the bed he was lying on. The scent on the other bed was neither his nor his supposed-to-be lover. Frowning deeply, Daken pulled the pillow that smelled of him closer and tried to bring an order into the chaos that was currently raging in his head. Who was he? Where was he? Was he with friends or enemies? But if those strangers were enemies, why didn't they chain him up or kill him? And why did he feel safe with this stranger? He startled as the bathroom door was opened and immediately focused on it.

Jean-Paul quickly raised both hands. "Sorry!" he apologized and switched off the lights in the bathroom before he closed the door again. He then pointed at the bed Kazuki was usually sleeping in, trying to figure out how to explain. He definitely couldn't say it in Japanese… "I sleep here to give you some space, okay?" he simply said and tried to add gestures. However, he clearly noticed Daken's more than skeptical look as he lay down on the smaller bed. It didn't take long for the feral to babble away in Japanese again and to point at the speedster, then at himself, then at the bed and confuse the hell out of Northstar in return. "Wakarimasen…," Jean-Paul said and heard Daken sighing heavily. "Let's talk tomorrow. I'll explain everything…"

"Wakarimasen!" Daken snapped, clearly pissed for whatever reason.

"Well and I don't understand you either, Hiro…," Jean-Paul mumbled sourly and tried to come up with anything. "What was _tomorrow_in Japanese again…?" he thought out loud. "Ashita," he said in the end before pointing to and fro between them. "We'll talk. Katariau! Okay?"

"Okay…," Daken muttered and heard Northstar wishing him a 'good night' before he switched off the lights. However, he couldn't sleep at all… His mind was racing, his heart too especially when he heard a noise somewhere. His eyes were fixed on the door and he couldn't tell why, but he feared that someone would come through said one and attack him.

He didn't know when exactly he had finally fallen asleep but as Daken opened his eyes he was directly looking at Northstar's back, who was getting dressed in front of the small wardrobe. Not daring to move, he chose to keep on watching him but froze as the man's blue eyes were suddenly on him.

"Ohayou," Jean-Paul smiled unsurely and contemplated what to do. "Uhm…," he began and pointed at the door. "Breakfast?" he asked and Daken began to frown but not because of the reason Northstar thought. The speedster sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "What was breakfast in Japanese again…?" he thought out loud.

"Asagohan," Daken replied and sat up, his eyes still on the man.

"Right, merci!" Jean-Paul said but froze almost immediately. "Hold on… Do you actually understand me?" he asked hopefully and the feral shrugged. "Is your memory back too?" Northstar asked next and stopped in front of the bed, noticing how Daken backed off a bit.

"No…," the feral mumbled and avoided eye contact, his heart still beating strongly. His eyes darted towards the door, then back towards Northstar. "I…don't want…," he began and finally nodded at the door, hoping that the man would understand him.

"That's okay. I can get you something," Jean-Paul offered and received a silent look only. "Be right back…," he said and was about to leave the room when his hand was grabbed. Confused, he gave the feral a look but could easily read the man's eyes for once. "Hiro…," he said and knelt down, covering Daken's hand with his. "You really don't need to be afraid. Everyone knows how difficult this situation is for you. They won't do anything, okay?" he asked but received a wary look. "If you don't want to wait alone here then come with me. We grab something to eat, come back here and eat here. How about that?" Northstar suggested and received a silent nod after a moment of silence. "Good…," the speedster nodded and led the way to the kitchen. He took notice of how Daken's eyes looked around, how he seemed to take everything in, attentive to the tiniest noises only he could hear. He began to wonder if Logan was right. If what Daken had been through was still affecting him even though he couldn't remember. To him it was plainly weird that the feral was sticking so close to him. In the end, he was as much of a stranger to Daken as the rest. However, as soon as they had reached the kitchen, the hand was back on his arm again and the feral practically glued to him. "Morning…," Northstar greeted and hated how the room fell silent and even more how everyone was staring at them. He wanted them to look away, to not intimidate and confuse Daken even more than the man already was. Jean-Paul began to frown as he felt how Daken tried to hide behind him, guessed that everyone staring at him was just too much. "Did we grow third heads?" he therefore snapped at the group and at least some of them looked away. Glaring at them, he gave Daken a brief look, who raised his head a bit. "I…just make what you usually liked, okay?" he asked and Daken nodded.

While the speedster was quickly working through the cabinets, Daken kept his head lowered and stared at the ground. He felt their eyes on him, felt terribly exposed and naked. Looking up, he took some of those alien faces in, tried to recognize anyone of them. There was a dark-skinned woman with short white hair that smiled warmly at him as soon as she noticed his eyes on her. He frowned at this devil-like mutant next to her, who, even though he was giving him a friendly smile before he tended to the two children next to him again, appeared as weird to Daken as this huge, blue, teddy-like mutant next to that demon. His eyes then fell on an Asian looking girl that sat next to a blond man, who wasn't bothering looking at him. She on the contrary gave him a huge and happy smile. The girl next to her, with auburn hair, was smiling too. His eyes went past the huge man next to her, wondered if those muscles were even real, darted to the far left where another man with red glasses was definitely looking at him, but he couldn't read this stoic expression, and somehow he instantly disliked the man…

"Akihiro," he was addressed on his right and looked into that direction. He frowned at the beautiful woman with the long red hair who was giving him a kind smile. "Would you like some tea? You usually drink tea in the morning," she asked him and somehow he knew she was telling him the truth. He nodded and watched how she poured him some into a cup, which she then handed him. However, something within him was once more skeptical…

"She's a friend. You can take it," Northstar assured him and he did so in the end.

"Thanks…," Daken muttered and his eyes remained on the dark liquid in the cup. He knew their eyes were still on him…

"Could you take this too?" he heard Jean-Paul addressing him and took one plate from him. He watched how the man gave both plates a critical look before his blue eyes met his. "Anything else you want?" he was asked but he shook his head. "Okay, then let's go back and eat," Northstar smiled and he followed him back to their room, hearing the whispers behind his back still when they were back at the room and had sat down on the bed to eat.

* * *

"He looked all right, didn't he?" Kitty asked into the round but turned her attention to the door when a very grumpy Logan entered. "Morning!" she greeted him anyway.

"Mornin'…," he almost snarled and went over to Jean to give her a kiss, then to the window to glare out of it. "What the fuck are they doin'?" he demanded to know and his head began to pound even worse as he heard metal screeching. He guessed that he was probably the only one capable of hearing this ugly noise, Victor, John, the twins, Jamie and Daken the exception.

"Oh, Tony had this awesome idea of pulling two Sentinels out of the ocean," Pepper told him and the glare was on her.

"Why…?" Logan grunted and went over to the sink to pour himself the strongest coffee possible.

"Only he knows…," the redhead shrugged and Logan cringed once more as metal grate on metal once more. "I'm gonna kill him….," he swore and was about to head for the outside, as a sour looking Erik entered from the left, went straight to the outside and aimed for Tony. Logan listened in to their conversation that ended up in a fight and watched how Magneto simply pulled those two broken Sentinels out of the water with a simple wave of his hand.

"You could have done this earlier, you know?" Tony complained and landed on the ground, receiving a glare from Erik before the master of magnetism disappeared inside again.

Happy that at least the annoying sounds had stopped, Logan heaved a deep breath and rubbed the spot between his eyes. However, it wouldn't be him, if chaos stopped right there.

"DAAAAAAAAAADDY!" Laura shouted and ran into the kitchen, closely followed by the twins. "Jack locked us out again!"

"I did not!" Jack snapped at her.

"You did!" Lily snapped back at her twin.

"He's always using the bathroom first, daddy!" Laura went on, backed up by Lilly, whereas Jack said the opposite and the whole thing ended up with them snapping and shouting at each other.

While the adults watched the fight with big eyes, Logan let his hand slowly sink and stared at his children, the stare soon turning into a full-fleshed, annoyed glare. The moment the children noticed it, they closed their mouths quickly and looked up at their father. "Public bathroom. Now! All of ya!" Logan growled slowly, emphasizing every word and sounding more than just annoyed by now. "'n if I hear one more word, just the tiniest noise…it means public bathroom for the next two weeks. Did I make myself clear?" he asked and Laura, Jack and Lily quickly nodded before they ran off.

"You didn't sleep," Jean said matter-of-factly and he sat down next to her with a sigh.

"No, I couldn't…"

"Logan…," she sighed and reached out to run a hand through his hair but he waved off, just to narrow his eyes next.

"That's it…," he growled and went over to the door. "Jack? That's two weeks for ya!" he barked down the corridor, ignored the protest that only he could hear from that distance and settled back down. "I hate puberty!"

Jean only smiled at him and continued stroking soothingly through his hair and over the back of his neck. "Akihiro was here by the way," she said and that got his attention. "His English seems to be back but he's quiet mistrustful still."

Logan huffed. "Ain't a surprise…" He turned his head and watched Tony and Reed being all over those two Sentinels. "What are they doin'?"

"Tony thinks he can reprogram those Sentinels somehow and find out how they actually work," Charles suddenly said and entered.

Logan wouldn't admit it but he was still weirded out by the Professor's youthful look and that he was able to walk again. However, something in the back of his mind found that look was somehow familiar.

Charles smiled. Even more so when Erik entered to dispose of his tea cup. "I can assure you, Logan, it's not weird at all," he smirked and buried his hands in his pockets. "Maybe you remember a day during the 60s when you were sitting in that bar, drinking a beer, smoking a cigar and two gentlemen entered…"

Logan cocked and eyebrow at Charles and Erik, the latter still looking sour. "…._go__fuck__yerself_…," he muttered, which made Charles smile and Erik roll his eyes. "I remember…"

Huffing, Erik left and Charles sighed after watching his oldest friend. "Did you talk to your son already?" he asked Logan in the end, who shook his head. "His mind is pretty open right now. He's confused and questions if we are really telling him the truth."

"No surprise there…," Logan grunted and looked up as Northstar was entering to dispose of the plates. "Is he in yer room?" he asked and the man nodded.

"Showering."

"Think I can talk t' him?"

Jean-Paul shrugged. "I guess. He's very mistrustful though, Logan. Don't do anything to startle him, please!"

Logan cocked an eyebrow at him. "What do ya think I'm gonna do?" he mocked and got up to head for the room.

"Tell him to take any clothes he wants! We usually share anyway…," he heard the speedster shouting after him.

He listened in and didn't hear any water running anymore. After knocking, he waited a moment and entered then, finding the bedroom empty. The door to the bathroom was open though, steam making its way through the opening and he heard his son rummaging in it. It didn't take long and Daken peeked carefully around the corner, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Hey…," Logan tried to say as normal as possible and without sounding too nervous, noticed that his son was getting suspicious however. "Uhm…, Jean-Paul wanted me t'tell ya t'use any clothes ya want…," he said and received a nod. He watched how Daken went over to the wardrobe and took his time to go through the clothes. In the end, and much to Logan's surprise, Daken took a grey hoody into his hand and blue jeans. He couldn't help but smirk, an expression that earned him a questioning look. "Ehm… That's his favorite hoodie actually…," Logan quickly said.

"Oh…," Daken made and was about to put it back as Logan intervened.

"No, it's okay! He gave it t' ya last Christmas as a gift coz ya liked it so much," he said and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ehm… I actually wanted t'ask if we could talk…?" he finally asked and while Daken got dressed.

"You're my father, aren't you?" the younger feral said much to Logan's surprise and straightened the hood.

"How…"

"…come I know?" Daken finished Logan's question. "You seem to be the only one capable of speaking Japanese fluently around here and you smell like kin. Plus, I'm obviously not completely Japanese, so…" He shrugged and eyed his hair in the mirror critically. "Do you want to talk here or…?"

"We could go for a walk. The weather's cold but nice…," Logan suggested and his son grabbed the first best warm jacket he could find.

"All right."

Surprised, Logan led the way to the outside. He gave Tony and Reed a brief look, both of whom were still trying to figure out how to get those Sentinels inside. From time to time he gave his son a look from the side and tried to figure out how to begin. What did he want to tell him anyway? What was he supposed to say? "Ya…feelin' okay?" he managed to asked after what had seemed to be an eternity to him, wanted to slap himself at the same time for this stupid question. He didn't know how to talk to his eldest before, he didn't know how to do it now. He wondered if he would ever be able to talk normally to him…

"I guess….," Daken shrugged and took the outside in, soaked up the ocean, the snowy fields and rocks.

"I know what it's like…," Logan began and Daken gave him a look. "Not rememberin' anythin'…," he added while looking back and suddenly it was so easy to talk to his son, to tell him about how he had met his mother, how much he had loved her, how happy they had been especially when she had gotten pregnant, how all of this had been destroyed and he had been taken away from Logan, how he had lost his memory then and only regained it months ago, how they had met and things have ended at Genosha. The whole time through Daken had listened in silence, only nodded here and there, tried to remember something but there was nothing, not a single name, face or memory his mind came up with.

His eyes fell upon Magneto, who was now helping Tony and Reed to lift those Sentinels into the second hangar, then his eyes shifted towards Northstar and a little boy he was playing with in the snow. He frowned at the white puppy that was jumping around them from time to time. Logan noticed the look, contemplated about what to tell him when Daken asked the question himself: "That boy… Who is he?"

"Kazuki. Yer son…," Logan replied and was awarded with a surprised look. "Jean-Paul adopted him before we knew that he was actually your son… So, yer kinda his parents…"

Interested, Daken looked back at them. "He didn't tell me…"

"He thought it was too much for ya for one day. He would have told ya," Logan assured him and noticed how his son became thoughtful again. "He's a good kid. Still has some problems with English though…"

Daken nodded, walked next to his father through the snow, his eyes still on Northstar and his son, the latter now having fun to throw snowballs at Tony; a move that made the speedster laugh aloud. He frowned and looked back at his father, who smirked at the scene, his heart suddenly pounding fast in his chest. "Where you…alright with this…?" he carefully asked and Logan frowned at him.

"With what?"

"Well…me and…him…," Daken muttered and avoided looking at Logan, instead he looked at his son and the speedster again, both now throwing snowballs at Tony, who shouted for Pepper to help him.

"'f course!" Logan said much to his surprise and Daken met his father's gaze. "He's a good guy 'n ya changed a lot for the better around him. Plus he's yer best friend 'n pretty much the only person ya allowed t'be close." Noticing that Daken still gave him a skeptical look, Logan sighed. "Look, I might be old but love's love. Ya can't help who ya fall for." He watched his son closely as this one looked at the snowball fight once more. "Why don't ya go over?" he asked and to his surprise Daken actually did it, so he followed him and laughed at Tony. "Need help?"

"Me? No! Do I look like someone needing help?" Tony asked and was still trying to fight off any snow ball that came into his direction.

"Yeah, ya actually do," Logan chuckled and crossed his arms. "Beaten by a three-year old, Tony…"

"Haha!" Tony mocked and finally hid behind him. "Be a good boy and throw them at grandpa!"

Looking to and fro between them, Kazuki went over to Daken and held up the snowball to him, which the feral took. "Want me to throw it?" the feral asked and received a nod and smile. "Okay…," Daken shrugged and looked at Tony, who was still hiding behind Logan.

"Hey, hey, hey!" the Avengers quickly said and raised both hands before disappearing even further behind Logan, but to his surprise the ball hit the speedster's neck, the snow dripping into the jacket and making Northstar jump, uttering a shocked gasp.

"It's seeping into my pants!" Jean-Paul cried and tried to get the rest of the snow out of his jacket by reaching for his back. "Get it out!"

"Well, I won't. I'm too manly for groping you!" Tony said and disappeared on the inside before anyone else could stop him.

"Me neither! Besides yer Canadian, JP! We've got snow in our genes." Logan shook his head. "See ya later, son!" he added with a pat to Daken's shoulder and followed the Avenger.

"Please, get it out!" Northstar cried and was still wiggling like a maniac, shuddered when Daken helped him out and wiped the remaining snow from his back. "Cold…"

"Sorry…," the feral muttered and felt the pang in his chest as those unbelievable blue eyes met his.

"I'll get my revenge, dear, I hope you know that!" Jean-Paul warned him playfully and pulled a face. "I need new pants…," he muttered and swiped Kazuki up into his arm as the boy pointed at him, laughing. "Think that's funny when Papa's freezing, kiddo?"

Watching them interacting thoughtfully, Daken remained silent and followed them back inside, where he trotted after him back to their room.

* * *

"I think it's a genius plan. Well, of course it is! It is my plan in the end, right?" Tony said excitedly while he was occupied with looking at the Sentinel in front of him from all sides, before he hammered commands into his portable tablet PC.

"So…. What's the plan?" Cap asked and watched him, Fury and Reed next to him whereas Logan was silently leaning against the wall behind them.

"Easy!" Tony said without looking up. "Sentinels are robots, right? So there is a computer inside them that has all their commands on the hard drive. Sentinels know how to return to base so the locations of those bases must be on said hard drive too. I'll hack into said hard drive, extract the information, we'll get to know where those bases are. Plus," he made a dramatic pause, "I'll reprogram the Sentinels. If Jarvis can hack into the system, I might even be able to program a virus that will affect all Sentinels altogether. Daken said something about this Master Mold and that this thing is the main-Sentinel. If we are somehow able to get this virus into the main-Sentinel, there might be a chance that we can turn all Sentinels against our enemies!" He waited for a reply but was met with utter silence. "Hey, I know this is a genius plan but how about at least clapping your hands?" he asked disappointedly.

Fury raised his hand. "Just let me get this straight, Tony… You call that a _plan_?"

Tony shook his head. "No. A _genius_-plan! There's a difference between a plan and a genius-plan, you know? The difference is that everyone can come up with a plan but only a genius, namely _me_, can come up with the latter." He looked back at Fury, who turned to give Cap a look.

"Do you want me to tell him or would you?"

"Tell me what?" Tony asked.

"That yer plan is batshit crazy. Just guessin'." Logan shrugged.

"Tony," Cap sighed. "How can you be sure that those things don't have some kind of…mechanism that protects them from exactly what you intend to do. What if it attacks us the moment you activate it?" He gave the robot a look. "You've seen how destructive they are…"

"Do you actually think I'm crazy? Ever heard about a virtual hard drive? Computer 101!" Tony cried and shook his head. "Now leave the genius alone!" He made a "go away now!"-movement with his hand and tended the Sentinel again.

"He is crazy," Fury commented and turned to leave, followed by the others.

"His plan is actually good. Simple, but good," Reed said and scratched the back of his head.

"Simple? Don't let Tony hear that!" Logan chuckled and smirked when Rachel ran into his arms, squealing as he scooped her up into said ones. "What's up, darlin'?" he asked and kissed the side of her head.

"We want to play something!" Rachel told him matter-of-factly.

"And?"

"And you have to join, daddy!" For emphasis she crossed her arms and gave him her best "You can't say no to me!"-look. "Mommy said I have to get my warm jacket but I can't find it. So you have to help me look for it."

Logan cocked an eyebrow at her playfully. "Well, then I better do that, huh?" he asked and she nodded. He nodded back and looked at the three men to his left. "Ya heard her."

"I thought we wanted to talk about…," Fury began but Logan waved off.

"Not now, Nick. Kids have priority!"

Fury simply watched him heading down the corridor and felt Cap patting his shoulder. "He's a dad now. Can't be changed," the Avenger shrugged.

* * *

He had tried his best to get through those dark thoughts, to find a way through all the reprogramming that had been done and searched for the gentle soul that he hoped was still lurking underneath there somewhere. However, those black eyes that were so full of bloodlust, rage and hate were a perfect mirror of what was really lurking inside this mind… Still, he didn't want to give up on him.

Charles didn't bother to step aside as one of those metal wings came down on him. He knew the cage would withstand the impact, and then there was still Eric next to him that had already raised his hand to stop the metal from coming even close to the Professor's head. He sighed. "Warren, please let me in. I beg you!"

"Just realize it, Charles," Erik replied and shook his head as their eyes met. "He's done! You should just put him down before he kills us all."

"He's one of us, Erik!"

"No, he _was_ one of us," the master of magnetism corrected him.

"We managed to free Logan from being a rider of Apocalypse. And I'll do the same with Warren, no matter how long it will take!" Charles insisted and Erik let out a sigh, then shook his head.

"Your continuing search for hope… One day it will break your neck, old friend!" Erik said and was about to aim for the door, hearing how Charles muttered something about "What did I do differently…?", and then suddenly slapped his forehead. The noise made Erik stop and turn around. "Have you completely lost your mind now?"

"I didn't manage to free Logan back then," Charles said excitedly and stormed past him, patting his shoulder on his way out.

"What…?" Erik asked, groaned and followed him.

"Jean did! She is a much stronger telepath than I am. If she can't get through to Warren, no one will!" he told him and Erik could only roll his eyes.

"I am not mistaken that she didn't only change your appearance to your old handsome thirty-year-old-self, but also your mind?" he mocked and wondered why he was actually still following him around. He should just go back to his room and search for his daughter. As Charles stopped in front of the kitchen window and looked outside of it Erik's eyes narrowed in an instant. There, on the outside was the whole Grey-Howlett family, occupied with a snowball fight. Charles smiled as Jean and Rachel used their teke to dump huge amounts of snow on Logan and Jack, who in return threw ball after ball at them.

"This isn't fair, mommy!" Jack complained but Jean and Rachel giggled. "And it's not fair that you help them!" he complained into the direction of Laura and Lily, who, too, were throwing snowballs at the two men.

"Girlpower!" the two girls cheered and Lily laughed aloud as she managed to hit her twin straight in the face.

"Dad!" Jack growled but Logan already had a plan.

"In situations like that ya can only play dirty, son!" Logan growled and made a lunge into Jean's direction, who, however, blocked him midair and made him land in the snow.

"Logan…," she sighed heavily.

"Well, it was worth a try…," he growled and shook his head after Lily dropped snow on his head, laughing.

"It's soooooooo unfair!" Jack complained and sulked. "It's four girls against two boys!"

"Suuuulk!" Lily laughed and stuck out her tongue at her twin. Her head turned as the backdoor was opened. "Hi grandpa!" she greeted Charles and ran over to hug him, not weirded out by his looks anymore or that he could suddenly walk.

"Hey, sweetheart. I see you had fun," Charles smirked and watched how Logan got up, wiping the snow off his head with a playful glare. "Jean, I need your help in a specific matter."

Jean read his mind and understood. "All right," she followed him back inside and left Logan with the children.

"'kay. Time to get a hot shower 'n into dry clothes, kiddos," Logan announced and held the door open for them. His eyes caught sight of the clock. "'n time for dinner, so hurry up!" He began to glare at Jubilee when the young woman began to laugh at him. "What?"

"You look like a drowned dog, Wolvie!"

"Thanks…," he grunted and went to get changed himself.

In the meantime, Jean was standing in front of the cell and looked at Archangel, who glares back at her full of hatred.

"I tried to get through to him but his defenses are so strong," Charles explained and Erik was once more standing behind them, leaning against the wall and looking at Jean intently. "You managed to get through to Logan back then…"

"Yes, but Logan fought against the altering and helped me, Charles," Jean replied, her mind already probing and looking into Warren's mind. "Warren seems to be content with his altering. At least he isn't fighting back."

Charles sighed, whereas Erik crossed his arms. "You are strong enough to force your way through the altering, Jean. Trust your powers," the master of magnetism told her and smiled when she turned to frown him. He shrugged when Charles gave him a warning look and continued watching them from behind. To him Jean was _the_ goddess among mutants. Unstoppable, strong, powerful… Meant to rule. Silently, he watched how Jean began her work, listened to the curses and threats Archangel began to utter and knew it wasn't necessary to block the attacks, since the redhead could take of herself. It didn't take long and she began to glow and Archangel to scream as the Phoenix destroyed altering after altering, poured memories of his time as an X-Men into his mind, flooded it with the good he had caused, with the good man he actually was. He lost track of time, was too fascinated with her doings that he didn't notice first how the metallic wings changed back into white feathers first, and that Warren dropped to his knees, panting heavily, his entire body shaking in stress.

"Warren?" Charles asked carefully and waited for the man to raise his head and to look at him. As the younger mutant did and looked back at him, he let out a sigh in relieve as he noticed deep blue eyes. "Thank God…"

However, Jean held up a hand, her eyes on the man on the ground. "How are you feeling?" she asked and Warren stopped frowning at the Professor and Magneto, both unfamiliar to him with those looks, recognizing her immediately.

"What happened, Jean?" he asked, still trying to catch his breath, his hand reaching up to hold his head. "My head hurts so much…" He listened to what Charles told him and tried to remember, but he couldn't. The last thing he remembered was that he had been on his way from his father's lab to the X-Men mansion. "I…"

"It's okay, Warren," Charles assured him. "We'll do it like this. You'll stay here in that cell for one more day so that we can make sure that you are not under Apocalypse influence anymore. Jean and I will scan your mind once more tomorrow, and if we can't pick up on any altering, we'll release you. All right?" he asked and Warren nodded. "I'll send Ororo to bring you something to eat."

"Did I…hurt or…kill anyone?" Warren asked, his voice barely audible and Charles came to a halt at the door.

"You injured Remy in a fight. I don't know what else you did, Warren, I'm sorry…"

Nodding, Warren lowered his head again and leant back against the wall. "I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault," Charles said and tried to smile. As soon as they had left the room, he gave Jean a look. "What do you think?" he asked while they were walking down the corridor together.

"I'm not sure. I was able to break through the altering but…" Jean sighed and frowned once more as she noticed the look Erik gave her.

"But?" the master of magnetism asked, still smirking at her.

"But there's still something dark lurking in him… Similar to Wolverine and Dark Phoenix," she went on and Charles nodded.

"Maybe the altering split his personality?" he suggested and she shrugged. "Hm… We should definitely test it in the morning. Thank you, Jean!"

"Of course," she nodded and smiled at Logan, who was waiting for her at the kitchen door. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied and kissed her, but not without glaring at Magneto.

"Kids behaved?" she asked and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Mhm…," Logan grunted, still eyeing Magneto. "I don't like the way he's lookin' at ya."

"Me neither," Jean sighed and stroked over his chest. "But you don't need to worry, honey, he's no danger for you," she added teasingly and made him cock an eyebrow at her.

"I'd seriously doubt yer taste, if he was, darlin'!" Logan mocked and kissed the side of her head. "Kids are already in the kitchen," he added and took her hand, leading her over to their usual spots at the table.

"So, where is Jamie?" Jean asked and filled her plate with food.

"Sleepin' on the sofa," Logan grunted and sat down, his stomach being even emptier than empty. "I'm starvin'…"

"Can't be that bad, Wolvie!" Jubilee teased him.

"You've no idea, kid!" he growled and filled his plate with everything that once had four legs, just to startle everyone else as he suddenly jumped off his stool and stormed out of the room.

"Okay…," James said, his movement frozen. "What did I miss?"

"Good question…," Narya said but their confusion was answered when they heard Jamie crying aloud.

"Did he fall from the couch?" Jean asked shocked and got up, watched how Logan held their crying son close and rummaged in the freezer for an icepack. Worriedly, she brushed Jamie's hair carefully back and looked at the noticeable bump. "Oh, baby…," she cooed and took the pack from her husband to press it gently on the wound, while the boy sobbed heavily into his father's shoulder.

"Hurt?" Logan asked softly.

"Yeah," Jamie cried and turned his head away from the ice pack to hide it at his father's neck while holding onto him.

"Kid, how did ya manage t'fall from the couch when I pushed it against the table, so that ya actually can't fall down?" he sighed.

"Has the wound healed?" Jean asked and waited for a nod from Logan before she put the cool pack away again. Reaching out, she stroked over her son's back soothingly. "You alright again, baby?"

"No!" the boy sobbed into Logan's chest.

"That bad, huh?" Logan mumbled and swayed a bit to calm the devastated boy down. He pulled him close and rested his head on his son's, waited for the sobs to finally stop.

"He must have hit his head pretty hard if he's still crying," Hank mentioned after a moment and watched how Logan kept on swaying gently, while he spoke softly to his son.

"'kay?" Logan asked after a moment and wiped Jamie's tears away. "Hm?" Receiving a weak nod, he placed a kiss on the forehead and sat down on his casual stool with Jamie on his lap, the boy still sniffing into his father's shirt.

"You alright again, Jamie?" Rachel asked.

"No…," her younger brother mumbled and hid his head in Logan's chest again. He looked up though when he heard his father addressing someone and raised his hands quickly. "Hiroki!" he cried and Daken gave him a dumbfounded look. "A hug!" Jamie demanded.

"He calls ya that," Logan explained and Daken simply nodded, then, to his surprise, took Jamie from him and sat down on the free stool next to Northstar, who had Kazuki on his lap. He watched his eldest during dinner and noticed that he avoided looking at the others, but reacted as soon as Jean-Paul, his son or Jamie addressed him. Still, he couldn't tell what was actually going on in his son's mind and that bothered him.

They were nearly done with dinner, as Jack suddenly said, "JP?"

"Hm?" Northstar made and looked up from his plate.

"You are Ni-chan's boysfriend, right? So you are practically a part of the family," the boy asked and Jean-Paul exchanged a brief look with Daken.

"Eh…"

"So that also means that you can actually join our team next time," Jack concluded before the man could reply, and gave his mother and sisters a victorious look. "You…are so gonna lose next time!"

"No, you will lose!" Lily replied and smiled. "Because mommy and Ray are psychic!"

"And JP is faster!" Jack gave back, smirking and crossed his arms. "He'll kick your…"

"Language!" Logan warned him.

"…butt," the boy quickly said and gave his older brother and the speedster a look. "You'll join, right?"

"Eh… We'll see, okay?" Northstar said and cleared his throat.

"C'mon, you have to!" Jack begged.

"We'll see," Northstar said once more and ruffled the boy's hair with a smile, which turned into a glare as he heard Pyro snickering and noticed that he was looking his way. However, he chose to ignore him for now. "Time for bed, Kazu."

"Yeah, 'n bedtime for ya too, kiddo," Logan said and got up to take Jamie from Daken but the boy shook his head.

"No!"

"No?" Logan asked and cocked a playful eyebrow at his youngest before he turned to Jean. "Did ya hear that, darlin'?"

She nodded. "I did. And I think it's 'yes'," she said and got up too.

"So do I," Logan agreed but Jamie shook his head even faster and clawed at Daken's shirt. "What? Bedtime!"

"It seems my pal doesn't want to go to sleep, yet," Tony mocked and smiled broadly. "Isn't that so?" he asked Jamie, who shook his head. "See?"

"No, Hiroki do it, daddy!" Jamie cried and pouted.

"You want Akihiro to bring you to bed?" Jean smiled and stroked over her youngest head when this one nodded. "Well, then ask him if he wants to do it, sweety."

Meeting his brother's eyes, Jamie thought hard and decided to be his usual cute self. "Hiroki? Bed, peaaaaaase?"

Logan smirked but his eyes looked at Daken, who exchanged a look with Jean-Paul. "Is it okay for ya?"

"Yeah…," the younger feral shrugged and got up when Northstar did so too, then followed Logan, Jean and the speedster towards the couple's room, where they prepared both boys for bed.

"Got everythin', baby?" Logan asked and handed Jamie his plushie before he kissed him goodnight. He waited for Northstar to put Kazuki to bed too and for the adults to wish them a good night before he left the room with them.

As he lay in bed with Jean later and held her close, he thought about the day. "What do ya think? How's he doin'?" he asked and Jean brushed her cheek against his chest.

"Better than I thought," she mumbled tiredly. "He seems to trust Jean-Paul to a great deal and I was also surprised that he talked to you…"

"Hm…," Logan grunted and began to sigh again. "One day…I'm gonna kill Tony for sure…"

"He working on that Sentinel again?"

"Yeah…," he growled and sighed in relief as she blocked the noises out. "Thanks, darlin'!"

In the meantime, Tony was occupied with the two Sentinels that Magneto had dropped in the middle of the hangar. While Jarvis was analyzing the hard drive of the Sentinel to his right, he was working on the second Sentinel, completely forgetting time. He wished, however, that he could also forget about being talked to death by Deadpool, who obviously needed someone to talk to and chose him from all people…

"So I went to him and said, hey, Vicky, long time no see! How are things and your litter pans? Nice and clean? Because I didn't see any litter pans around here and cats need litter pans, you know? Anyway, he glared at me and roared. Nothing new you might think but my feelings are seriously hurt! I mean I was only asking out of interest, for good old times' sake. But no, the big cat had to get all prissy again. Is wear he's an even bigger diva than the Snicktling!" Deadpool babbled on while examining the technical equipment.

"Snicktling?" Tony asked confused and wished he hadn't.

"Yeah, the Snickling. The little prissy princess," Deadpool replied.

"Oh, you mean Daken…," Tony nodded and tended his work again.

"Yeah. How is princess doing by the way? Haven't seen him today. He's probably getting all cozy with his wife. Not that I'm against it!" Deadpool quickly raised both hands. "Princess seems to like his wife so I'm all cool with it. As far as I've heard he isn't such a prissy bitch anymore, which is good, because, HELL, he could be the worst diva ever! I swear! Don't touch my clothes or I'll kill you! Don't touch my food or I'll kill you! Don't touch Lester or I kill you! Don't…"

"Lester?" Tony asked confused and groaned. "God… Why is it so hard to ignore you?" he cursed and tried to concentrate on the Sentinel again.

"I'm too awesome, nice, sexy and good-looking. That's why!" Deadpool replied. "Bullseye. Don't ask me what was going on between Princess and Lester but oh-my-God-the-world-was-going-to-end, if you only so much as dared to look at Lester the wrong way. The Snicktling can turn into a real bitch if you hit on his bitch, you know?" Deadpool paused briefly to think and Tony was already glad that the stream of consciousness was finally over, as the merch began anew. "Then again the Snicktling was the only one I could actually talk to back then. Claws in my gut and so aside, he totally understood me. Hm….maybe I should go and talk to him again…."

Tony couldn't believe his ears and turned quickly around, nodding. "Yes, I totally agree, you should do that!"

"You think so?" Deadpool asked.

"Absolutely! Now!"

"Hm….," Deadpool made. "Fine, you are not really talkative anyway I must say. To me it seemed as if I was the only keeping this conversation going." He made a brief gesture and left the room, leaving Tony to bury his face in his hands.

"Thank God…," he breathed and was about to continue his work as the door behind him was opened again. "Please no. Just go away! Join Daken and JP in whatever they are doing, do dirty things with them, annoy Creed, just please GO!" he begged and turned around just to see Pepper cocking an eyebrow at him, her arms crossed. "Potts. Thank God, it's you!"

"Well, I wouldn't mind joining Akihiro and Jean-Paul. Two handsome men, what more can a girl want, Mr. Stark?" she asked and rolled her eyes at his shocked look. "Tony, it's 3 a.m. I'd like to sleep!"

"3 a.m. already?" he asked impressed and checked his watch. "Damn, you're right."

"Of course I am, Tony…," she groaned and watched how he got off his scaffold, then told Jarvis to go on working on the hard drive.

"_Of course, sir. Good night!"_

Smirking, Tony came to a halt in front of Pepper. "Well, then let's go, Potts. Your man is here and you look tired as hell."

"Oh, really, Mr. Stark? I wonder why that might be…," she mocked but smiled tiredly as he wrapped an arm around he then kissed the side of his head. "What was that before by the way?"

"Before?" he asked while leading her back to their room. "Oh that! Deadpool chose me for his therapy session. I swear that guy talks more than…"

"You do?" Pepper cut him off and he feigned shock. "Yes, you!"

"I am least mentally sane!"

"Sometimes I even doubt that…," she muttered and smiled as he gave her another speechless look. "Come on, Mr. Stark. It's bedtime!"

* * *

A week later a small group had gathered in the living room to just sit together, talk about something else than Apocalypse and enjoy each other's company. While Logan sipped on a beer he was watching his son interacting with the others closely. Daken had settled in well, he thought and also the Professor and Jean were surprised that his mental state was so well. Lately, he even joined group session and if it was only to watch TV. It made Logan happy.

He looked aside and returned the smile Jean was giving him. Reaching out, he pulled her close and kissed the side of her head, trying to ignore how Deadpool was once more talking all of them to death. Instead, he concentrated on what he was picking up from his son, who was sitting on the couch next to Jean-Paul, both completely cozy and sharing wine bottles. They seemed to be in their own world again, something even as he had noticed, happened quiet a lot lately, and he was sure that even Storm was impressed at the amount of electricity that seemed to be between the to men.

Northstar laughed aloud and leant further into Daken, who joined his laughter much to everyone's surprise. Both men didn't notice the looks at all, remained snuggled up to each other, giggling over whatever they found funny at the moment. Then came a brief pause and both sipped on their wine, before it started all over again. Logan, who had cocked an eyebrow at them up to now, shook his head but couldn't help and smirk. It made him happy to see his eldest so carefree and relaxed. However, even he wasn't completely oblivious to the looks both men gave each other the whole time through, his senses telling him much more than he actually wanted to know. The smile on Jean's lips told him that she had noticed it too.

"Merde… I'm so wasted…," Northstar breathed and ran a hand over his face.

"Yeah, ya are!" Logan nodded and got up to call it a night after realizing how late it actually already was.

After he and the others had left and only the speedster and feral remained, Daken began to chuckle once more.

"What?" Northstar smirked and emptied his wine glass. "I swear I'll never drink wine with you again. C'est dangereux." He met Daken's eyes, both looking at each other in a complete serious way before they burst out into laughter again. "I'm really so wasted…..," the speedster breathed and brushed his head against the feral's shoulder, still breathing hard from their laughing fit. As his breathing had calmed down enough, he looked up smiling just to notice that Daken gave him a completely serious look. His smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown. His eyes however glued to Daken's dark orbs that seemed to draw him in. He had barely noticed that his heart was kicking into high gear, as the feral's lips brushed over his, sending a jolt through his body. While he was still frozen in shock about the feral's sudden act, he felt how Daken's hand cupped his neck to pull him even closer. Even though he had missed this and was more than happy about the physical contact, his hands still pushed Daken a bit away. "We…shouldn't do this while being drunk, Hiro…," Jean-Paul breathed and looked at Daken, who was still much too close for his current squiffy state.

"I'm sober," the feral replied and leant in again.

"You are?"

"Healing factor. " Daken shrugged and returned the smirk he was given before he was kissed this time. His heart was beating fast and he couldn't tell when his hands had begun to roam, or when clothes had landed on the floor but he suddenly noticed the feeling in his stomach. "I'm…nervous…," he admitted and looked at Northstar, who was by now lying underneath him on the couch.

Lovingly, Jean-Paul traced the feral's features. "Me too… We don't have to do this," he assured him and looked at Daken for a while.

The feral bit his lower lip and took the sight of the speedster underneath him in. He definitely was nervous as hell, everything new to him and he was unsure of what to expect or to do. However, he was sure about one thing that he wouldn't have been able to hide or to lie about even if he had wanted to. "I want this," he replied, received a happy smile before he kissed Northstar again and allowed himself to simply let himself fall…

**Again, I'm very sorry for the delay but this chapter gave me major headaches. I know it's Daken heavy but I wanted to write an in-between chapter after the action one, and I also needed to re-introduce him in some kind of way. Hope you can forgive me the long delay and that you still enjoyed the chapter somehow. Thanks to all of you that left a review! Let me know what you think, please! Take care!**


	16. Chapter 14

**Author****'****s****note:**Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**Sorry for the long delay. I've been quite sick and still kinda am. Here's an extra-long chapter. My Christmas present to you. : )**

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**THE SITE OBVIOUSLY HATES ITALICS AND MASHES THE WORDS TOGETHER. I CAN'T CHANGE IT FOR NOW. SORRY!**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 14**

When the group entered the TV room to follow the latest news, Jubilee and Kitty walking ahead, while the rest was chatting behind them, the two young women suddenly turned and put their finger to their mouth.

"Shh!" they made and received confused looks from the group behind them.

"What?" Bobby asked aloud.

"SHH!" Jubilee made again, looking slightly angered and pointed at the couch. "They are sleeping!" she whispered and Kitty switched the TV on but kept the volume down.

"Don't tell me….they are naked…," Tony begged and gave the two sleeping men a look before he slumped down on the free couch, and moved aside so that Bobby and Ororo had enough space. "Is that even comfy?" he asked and looked at Northstar, who was sleeping between Daken's legs, head resting in the crook of Daken's neck and arms hugging the man back. He heard Pepper sighing. "What is it, Potts?"

"If they are deeply asleep, Mr. Stark, I guess that it is comfy," she replied without looking up from the TV.

"Ah," he nodded and grinned at her. "Well my pillow isn't comfy, Potts, would you mind then?" When she looked up and gave him a confused look first but blushed next, he laughed.

"I think your pillow is fine, Mr. Stark."

"Whatever you say, Pepper!" he replied and hugged her.

"Shh!" Jubilee made specifically into his direction and he nodded.

"Got it. Shh!" He looked aside but none of the men was moving. "They are deeply asleep!" he complained but Jubilee shot a death glare into his direction. "That doesn't scare me!" He noticed that Pepper did the same and swallowed. "Okay… That scares me…"

"Zip it, Tony!" the redhead hissed in a hushed voice. "Jean-Paul couldn't sleep well for days so let him sleep now!"

"Well, I would explain why he most likely couldn't sleep well, considering he had to share the room with the Snicktling, but I'd have to start talking about the male anatomy then and…" He quickly raised his hands as he saw that the glares had deepened. "Okay, okay, got it. Shh!" Tony mocked in a whisper and crossed his arms, but was still eying the men curiously.

Daken was sleeping on his back while Jean-Paul was still lying between his legs, their stomachs touching. The speedster was resting his head on the feral's bare chest, hand resting comfortably on Daken's shoulder now, while the feral had his right arm draped around the speedster's waist and held him protectively close. No one of them made any signs of waking up any time soon.

"Didn't take them long, huh?" Tony whispered and quickly raised both hands once more as the women shot him another death-glare. When Jean-Paul made a noise and snuggled deeper into the embrace, he pointed at them. "See? They are out cold! All cozy and cuddled up and…" He then pointed at something on the ground. "And naked! That gets you girls overly excited, huh?"

"The only one who's overly excited here is you, Mr. Stark," Pepper returned the favor and made some of the others grin. She turned her attention back to the TV where a report on the latest happenings in the States, or Utopia as the East Coast was now being called, was broadcasted. By now also Logan and Jean had arrived and sat down in a chair, Logan first, Jean on his lap.

The redhead gave the couple on the couch a brief look. "He's finally able to sleep obviously…," she whispered into Logan's direction, who cocked an eyebrow at her. "That's good."

"Didn't know he wasn't able t'…," he grunted confused.

"He suffered flashbacks from being tortured. He was sending the past nights," she informed him and he began to frown.

"Why didn't ya tell me?"

"I could handle it, Logan," Jean groaned. "Trust me I've seen worse!"

Before he was able to reply to that the news began and everyone paid attention to it. As every day the news showed how U.S. Soldiers tried to get into Utopia and fought against the enemy troops, failing miserably, how the number of victims began to rise steadily and everything was blamed on the mutant population.

"This is outrageous!" Ororo cursed in a hushed voice and glared at the TV. "Of course this gets blamed on all of us again…"

Jean sighed and snuggled up to Logan, who pulled her closer. "It always does…," she muttered and leant her head on his shoulder, watching how another message of Apocalypse was shown. She couldn't believe he actually demanded of the world to finally bow to him. "He's insane…"

"Yeah, as all dictators are," Logan growled and shook his head. "We've gotta stop him…"

"But how?" the redhead sighed as she watched the news on even more executions in Utopia before another Wanted-List of Utopia was shown. Once more the X-Men, Avengers and Fantastic Four were on top…

As Daken made a noise and stretched Tony couldn't help but smirk at him. "Good morning, sunshine!" he sing-songed as soon as Daken had opened his eyes, and the feral instantly froze, his dark eyes looking to and fro between them. "Let me guess. You either had way too much to drink, were therefore drunk as hell when you did it and can't remember now or you regret it and…"

"Tony!" Logan growled and glared warningly at him, since he had heard how Daken's heart had gained in speed and that he was feeling more than just uncomfortable right now.

"What?" Tony asked him. "I'm asking out of interest! And obviously they have quiet enjoyed themselves. I mean six bottles of wine? That tops even me!"

"Leave him alone!" Logan added and watched how his son grabbed the first pants he could find on the ground, then put them on before he placed Northstar carefully on the couch. He had definitely seen the blush on the younger feral's cheeks.

"Excuse me…," Daken muttered and quickly left the room.

"That was quick…," Tony said. "Must have been a bad night then…"

Pepper elbowed him into the side, ignoring his "Oww!" on purpose. "Or maybe you simply made him feel uncomfortable?"

"Why? It's not as if he hasn't…," Tony began to defend himself, as Logan cut him off.

"It's new t'him. He lost his memory, remember?"

Tony looked back at him. "I knew I forgot about something important….," he joked.

"You made him feel bad!" Pepper complained and crossed her arms. "Think first, then talk, Tony. Ever heard about it?"

Playfully, he thought hard. "I might have," he nodded and sighed. "Potts…," he began but was interrupted by Jean-Paul's sleepy groan.

"What's all this loud talking so early in the moring?" he growled and turned around to hide his face on Daken's neck, surprised as his face met the pillow. Confused, he raised his head and searched for the man in the room, just to notice that he was gone.

"Say thanks t'Tony here," Logan grunted and Northstar sat up quickly, glaring at the Avenger.

"What….did you do?" he demanded to know.

"I…only asked if you had fun at night. Why is everyone mad with me?" Tony demanded to know in return.

"And in what way…did you ask?" Northstar asked, already knowing the answer.

"By asking if Akihiro was either too drunk or regretting it," Pepper replied, glaring at Tony when this one gave her a shocked look.

"Potts!"

"Ni cul, ni tête…," Jean-Paul cursed and grabbed the remaining pants from the floor but not without glaring at Tony. "Imbécile!"

"Speak English!" Tony called after him and looked at Logan. "What did he say?"

Rolling his eyes, Logan let go of Jean as she stood up. "He thanked ya for yer tremendous work. Idiot!" Shaking his head, he followed the redhead out of the room.

"I didn't do anything. I was only asking!" Tony cried and his jaw dropped as also Pepper left with a shake of her head and loud sigh. "Ororo?"

"You screwed up, Tony!" the weather-goddess sighed and left the room next.

"How?" Tony called after her but didn't get any reply. Alone in the room he contemplated what to do, took out his pocket computer in the end and looked at it. Could he ask Jarvis to analyze why everyone was mad at him? Sighing, he put it back into his pocket and got up. If everyone was mad with him for whatever reason, he could go on working on his Sentinel anyway.

* * *

Northstar let out sigh in relief as he found Daken in their room, just coming out of the shower. However, the look the feral was giving him was a completely different matter altogether. The moment their eyes met Daken looked away and tried his best to ignore the fact that the speedster was in the same very room with him, and went over to the wardrobe to get dressed. Confused by the actions, Jean-Paul rubbed the back of his neck and was at a loss for words. "I don't know what Tony has said but…," he began and he didn't know which part of him was shocked first as the feral interrupted him.

"It was a mistake!" Daken cut him off while closing the buttons on his black dress shirt. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed the shocked and hurt look on the speedster's face. He knew it had come out wrong. "You were drunk. I shouldn't have…," he tried to save the situation and went back into the bathroom to put the wet towel neatly over the edge of the bathtub.

"I wasn't drunk. Squiffy, yes, but definitely not drunk. I was very well aware of what I was doing and if it were a mistake in my eyes, I would have stopped you," Jean-Paul said, crossed his arms and leant against the doorframe. He sighed as he noticed the look in the other man's eyes and rubbed his face tiredly. "Don't let what Tony said get to you! He was joking."

Unsure, Daken leant back against the opposite wall and looked at the speedster from time to time. His thoughts were a mess, he didn't know which one to grasp first.

"_Stay__ calm__ and__ talk__to__ him.__Tell__ him__ how __you __feel. __He__ will __understand!__"_ he suddenly heard Jean's voice in his mind and startled. _"__I__ can __feel __your__ distress __on __the __other __side __of__ the __mansion. __Calm__ your __mind!__"_

"Hiro?" Northstar suddenly asked and made him look up. Daken watched how the speedster heaved a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, clearly looking unhappy. "Look, if… If it was a mistake for you, then…" He sighed, threw his hands up with a shrug and met his gaze. "…then we can leave it at that. Just know that it wasn't a mistake for me!" Not knowing what else he could say Jean-Paul turned around and left, leaving Daken to wait until the door was closed before he let out a curse and ran a hand through his hair. He was too confused, didn't know what to do or think. In order to clear his thoughts, he grabbed the next best warm jacket he could find and went outside to take a walk.

While his eyes were fixed on the snow on the ground, his hands buried in the jacket's pockets, Daken tried to figure out what he actually felt. Tony had clearly hit a nerve but he couldn't tell why. He had felt embarrassed, wondered how his old self would have reacted, wondered if he regretted the night for real but came to the conclusion that he didn't. Was that what bothered him?

"Son… If yer mopey-face gets any worse, yer jaw will hit the ground…"

Startled, Daken looked up, wondering how long his father was already walking next to him without him noticing it. "Sorry…," he muttered and went on staring at the ground.

"Tony was an idiot. But he was only teasin' ya," Logan said but the emotional state of his son was no secret to him, and the fact that the speedster walked around with the same upset look on his face, made it easy for him to count one and one together. "But that's not the reason, is it?" he asked after a moment and Daken shook his head after a moment of silence. "Wanna talk about it?" he offered.

Looking at him, Daken shrugged but sighed next. "I think I screwed up…"

"Screwed up how?" Logan asked and smirked as Callie and Miloh sprinted past him, chasing each other through the snow.

"I told him it was a mistake…"

The older feral cocked an eyebrow. "Was it?"

"No…," his son admitted after a long moment of silence.

"Then why did ya say it?"

"I don't know…"

Logan nodded and they continued walking next to each other in silence for a while. He hated heart-to-heart talk, figured that Jean was way better in it than he was. Then again he knew a thing or two about awkward 'morning afters'. "Do ya like him?" he asked.

"I guess…," Daken muttered, shrugging.

"Do ya love him?" Logan asked next and his son stared at him with wide eyes. Once more he began to wonder when Daken's eyes had turned dark brown. Now they looked too much like Itsu's. He watched how his son opened his mouth, closed it again just to open it once more. "I told ya it's okay if ya do… Ya can't control who ya fall in love with. What matters is that yer happy."

Avoiding his father's gaze, Daken watched the wolf and husky playing with each other in the snow for a while, his heart beating fast as he thought about his next question. He felt like a complete idiot… "How do I know…?"

"Know what?" Logan asked.

"That…I love him?" his son mumbled and felt the heat rising to his cheeks.

Logan nodded and heaved a deep breath. "Heart beats faster, ya think about that person nearly all the time, stare at that person without noticin', behave like a complete idiot around that person, feel nervous as hell… Stuff like that," he listed and waited for a reply. When there was none, he nudged Daken with his elbow. "Heightened senses son. Every time yer around him yer heart beats so fast that I can't even hear the beats anymore, yer nervous, ya practically stare at him every time he ain't lookin'…"

Daken sighed.

"Look, what happened, happened. Maybe it happened too fast, I dunno. But it was definitely not a mistake, son. Otherwise both of ya wouldn't be so miserable."

Daken looked up. "He's miserable?"

"'f course. That guy loves ya," Logan replied and his son looked down. "Talk t'him 'n settle this. He'll understand if it happened too fast for ya. He's not an idiot…"

"I know…," the younger feral muttered. "But I feel like a complete idiot…."

"Why's this?"

"I… I just don't know how this kind of thing works. I don't…remember…"

"Son…, ya didn't know before how a relationship worked but ya made it work somehow. Ya learn. 'n for the rest…yer body knows, it's instinct." He looked at Daken from aside and realized they had reached the backdoor again. Coming to a halt, Logan reached out and put a hand on his son's shoulder, a gesture that made the younger feral meet his eyes. "Look, it doesn't matter what others say, it doesn't matter if they agree or not… What matters is that yer happy, Everything else can go t'hell. Okay?" he asked and Daken nodded weakly. "Good," Logan said and let his hand sink again. "Go 'n talk t'him. He'll understand."

"All right…"

"'kay." Looking past him, Logan whistled and waited for Miloh and Callie to come back over to him. As he saw their fur he groaned. "Great… Wet as hell… Freakin' dogs."

"What about that puppy?" Daken suddenly asked and Logan turned to look at him. "She's always following me around…"

"She likes ya then. If ya want ya can keep her. We don't have room for her."

"Okay." Daken shrugged and followed him back inside, stopping at his room door.

"If ya wanna talk, I'm here, 'kay?" Logan asked and Daken nodded.

"Thank you," his son said and, to his surprise hugged him.

Logan smiled. "'f course," he nodded and parted ways with him, making his way back to his room. As his nose picked up on a scent he knew too well his eyes instantly narrowed to slits. It didn't take long and Magneto came around the corner, his eyes glaring back whereas a smirk was clearly visible on his lips. Without a word but not without taking the eyes off each other both men walked past the other and headed their way.

While Logan went to his room, Magneto went the other way, stopping in his track as he saw someone particular entering the library. His smirk widened as he followed suit, closing the door silently behind him and then remained hidden behind a bookshelf, his eyes watching every move the woman made. He figured out that she was going through the small section of books for children, her hand taking out one book while her mind set another one back. He had never admitted it but he admired her mutation, knew that she was the most powerful of all, a goddess among mere mortals. As green eyes looked straight into his direction he gave up hiding and stepped out from behind the shelf. "Hello Jean…," Erik greeted her, smirking while his hands where in his pockets as he walked over to her.

"What do you want?" she asked, her eyes instantly becoming suspicious as she saw him, her stomach feeling funny when he came too close for her liking.

"Can't I say hello to an old friend?" Erik asked in a mock-hurt voice.

"I'm not your friend!" Jean replied and sent the two books in her hand back to the shelf with her mind. "If you'll excuse me…," she said and wanted to walk past him but he blocked her way.

"I still don't quiet understand, Jean…," Erik began and closed in as she backed off against the shelf behind her. "…a woman like you, a goddess among us…," he went on and reached out to cup her cheek, catching her hand into his as she wanted to slap him.

"Let go of me!" Jean warned him but he smirked.

"Why did a goddess like you choose an animal like Wolverine? You could do so much better than this!" He had barely leaned in, his lips almost touching hers as an invisible force slammed him into the bookshelf behind him, bringing it down with Magneto on top of it. As he looked up, a smirk still visible on his lips, Jean was already on her way out. "Yes, run, Jean! But you know it's true!" he called after her and the redhead's heart didn't stop racing before she had reached her room again, running straight into a half-dressed Logan, who was just coming out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry.

"Hey," he said but began to frown instantly as he picked up on the state she was in. "What happened, darlin'?" Logan asked worriedly, letting his hand sink as he stepped closer towards her, his brows furrowed as he noticed the look in her eyes. "Jean?"

Swallowing hard, Jean contemplated whether to tell him or not. In the end, she knew how Logan would react. On the other hand, she knew how much he hated being lied to… "He…," she began and held his still worried gaze. "He tried to kiss me…"

"Son of a bitch!" Logan growled as he threw the towel to the ground and was out of the door before she was able to stop him. He followed the scent, didn't care that he was currently stomping down the corridor in low hanging jeans only, drawing attention from those that crossed his way, earning whistles from some of them. It was easy to track Magneto down, even easier since he didn't see or hear Logan coming. It wasn't before the master of magnetism's head hit the fridge hard first, then almost collided with Logan's fist that he realized the feral was after his throat. Still, Erik smirked at him. He knew he had the upper hand in this fight.

"Logan, what the hell is wrong?" Ororo asked and frowned at the two men, even more so as Jean arrived breathlessly.

Glaring at the man in front of him, Logan ignored the group and grabbed Magneto by the collar. He hated the smirk the man gave him. The beast in him was dying to ram its claws into Magneto and shred him to pieces. He had already been too patient with all those looks and smirks. "Ya'll stay the fuck away from my wife!" Logan growled, voice deep and eyes darkening.

"Is that so?" Erik asked, still smirking at him. "And what do you intend to do against it, _Wolverine_? Scratch me with your claws?"

"I'll gut ya, ya son of a bitch!" Logan snapped at him and didn't even look aside as Jean touched his arm.

"Let him go!" she begged. "He isn't worth it!"

Magneto snorted and looked at her, much to Wolverine's anger. "_I__'__m_ not? Oh please, Jean. Look at him," he said with a nod at the furious feral and his cold eyes were back on Logan. "He's an animal. He's not worth of a goddess like you."

"Don't tell me they are actually fighting over Jean….," Tony whispered into Cap's direction, but the man shrugged. "Considering that old bucket head was ancient just a few days ago this is….kind of perverted." His eyes fell on Logan, whose muscles were bulging due to the tension he was in. "I'll run around shirtless too. Starting tomorrow!"

"Oh, oh…," Ororo made. She had seen how Jean's eyes had darkened significantly at Magneto's statement. She didn't know what had happened, but that her best friend was clearly pissed off right now was too obvious.

"_He_ is not worth it?" Jean asked and met Erik's gaze. "_He_ doesn't use people as pawns, _he_ would never send weaker teammates into a battle first to sacrifice them, Logan would rather sacrifice himself in order to protect his team. _He_ doesn't consider himself as the top of the food chain and would hurt humans without a reason. _He_ loves his children and he shows him exactly that every day." She nodded at Quicksilver, who had entered the room after hearing the fight. "I haven't seen or heard you treating your son kindly only once!" Jean hissed, not seeing how Pietro looked down. "Logan is the best partner a person can wish for and much more of a man than _you_ will ever be! _You_ are the animal, Erik. Not Logan," she went on before she separated both men with her powers. "Stay the hell away from us!" Knowing that she didn't have to force Logan to come with her, his proud smirk being all the answer she needed, Jean turned around to leave. She was heading down the corridor as Logan's hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pushed her more or less gentle into the first best room. She had barely registered that her back landed against the wooden door as his lips attacked her mouth, leaving her breathless.

"Did I tell ya how sexy yer bein' all angry?" he growled into her neck, nuzzling and gently biting it.

"Am I?" Jean teased and held onto him as he lifted her up.

"Mhm…," he grunted, staring at her hungrily.

"Well you too," she replied, teasing him further with almost-kisses until he simply caught her lips again. It wasn't before he broke it to breathe some air that she realized where they actually were. "It's our secret room."

Logan turned his head, realizing that this was true. "Guess what this means?"

"What?" she grinned, biting her lower lip, knowing exactly what he had in mind.

"It's got a bed!" he smirked and carried her over to it, hearing how she mentally locked the door the moment they landed on the bed…

* * *

A couple of days later Logan stood in front of the group that had wanted to join hand-to-hand combat training. He couldn't deny that he had been quiet busy, first going through the control-routine with Warren again, who was desperate to keep Archangel in check, then his children had demanded of him to play with them, now the training. At the moment, he was standing in front of Jean, smirking at her. The rule for the moment was to not use powers and he was convinced that he had the upper hand. In the end, he was way too heavy for her to throw him. Jean, however, was suddenly smirking back, a move that quite confused him. He was just about to charge at her as she went into a crouch, grabbed some snow and threw it into his face. Stopping, he wiped the snow out of his eyes as he suddenly felt how two feet kicked his away, throwing him off balance and bringing him down with a heavy _thud_. Quite shocked Logan looked up into Jean's proud face.

"I guess that means I have won!" she said and helped him up, noticing the amused faces of some of the rest of the group.

"That…"

"…was a great move, I know," Jean finished his sentence and received a playful growl of him.

"Well, if you think your move was so great, how about going up against me then?" Domino asked her and Jean turned to meet her opponent.

"Dom… Just for yer information but I trained Jean," Logan said but the woman brushed off.

"So?"

The feral shrugged his shoulder. "Well, I warned ya…" He stepped back, his arms crossed and knew the smile would soon leave the woman's face.

"Prepare yourself!" Domino said to Jean, who had already taken a defensive stance, and looked the redhead straight in the eye. She was a really good hand-to-hand combatant, the luck always on her side. She would prove to Logan that his wife wasn't as good as he thought she was. Domino rushed forward, aiming for Jean's arm to bring the woman down, as this one made a quick step to the side. As Domino opened her eyes again she found herself lying on her back in the snow with Jean above her.

"Told ya so…," Logan grunted and watched how Domino aimed for Jean's legs as a quick attempt to start another attack, but once more Jean had seen it coming.

"You taught her well!" Cap said in appreciation and hissed as Jean once more threw Domino over her shoulder and into the snow. "However, Dom is stubborn…."

"Oh yeah…" Logan nodded and figured that Jean wasn't even using all of her abilities but merely fending Domino off. At least until the latter managed to place a punch. "She shouldn't have done that…"

"Why?" Cap asked but had the answer when Jean turned in one smooth move and did a tornado kick right against Domino's jaw. "Ouch…"

"Well, I warned her…," Logan shrugged and stepped forward again, stepping in before a real cat-fight could begin. "'kay, that's enough!"

"But…"

"I said it's enough, Dom!" he growled and glared at her warningly. After she had stepped aside too he considered what to do next. His eyes fell on two people from Magneto's team. "Ya!" he said and both men looked up. "Yer turn."

"I won't fight against Julio!" Shatterstar instantly said and crossed his arms.

"I don't want ya t'fight against each other but as a team," Logan said.

"That we can do," the redhead agreed and got up excitedly.

"Why are you always getting excited about battles….," Rictor sighed and didn't look happy at all.

"Because it's an honorable way of expressing one's strength!" Shatterstar replied matter-of-factly.

"You do realize that you are not allowed to use your swords, right?" This earned Rictor a shocked look. "It's hand-to-hand combat!"

"But…fighting with your hands only is not worth of a warrior, Julio! I need my swords!"

"You'll do fine, amigo. Trust me!" Rictor sighed and patted the sulking man's shoulder affectionately but only until he saw against who they were supposed to go up against. "Hm… That might prove to be difficult, amigo…"

"Why is that?" Shatterstar asked and eyed the two men opposite of them.

"I don't know about the other guy but he's good," Rictor said and pointed at Daken.

"Want me to take care of him, Julio?"

"Si!"

"Okay," Shatterstar said and prepared himself for battle.

Logan reached out to touch his son's shoulder. "Trust yer body 'n instincts. The two of ya worked perfectly together before."

"Yes, before he stopped talking to me," Daken huffed and tried to make eye contact with Jean-Paul, who busied himself with securing his gloves.

"Personal things have t'be kept away from a fight!" Logan told him and stepped aside, giving them a sign to begin. "'n no powers!" he warned them again, before his eyes fell on Shatterstar. "Or swords!" He stepped back again and gave the 'Go', a word that made Shatterstar charge instantly for the too surprised Daken, who was about to dug as Northstar stopped Shatterstar's attack with a well-placed kick.

"Stop dreaming!" Northstar snapped at the feral and evaded Rictor's fist quickly before it would have met his jaw, blocked the next punch and used his hip to throw the Mexican over his shoulder.

However, Shatterstar had already aimed for him and this time he was too slow. The punch was hard and Northstar stumbled, shaking his head in order to get rid of the stars in front of his eyes. He saw Shatterstar preparing for another punch out of the corner of his eyes, readied himself for the impact as the fist came closer but Shatterstar let out a "Uff" as Daken's blocked the blow with his left hand first, then slammed his right elbow into the man's face.

Logan watched how his son then turned quickly, kicking Shatterstar into the stomach and sending him flying, just to charge at Rictor, who had wanted to help his partner, next.

"He is damn fast…," Cap commented and had to admit that he was impressed by how agile Daken actually was. He punched and turned faster than anyone he had ever seen, made backflips or a flic flac with just one hand, just to start attacks in midair at the same time… Shatterstar was trying his best, was already a prototype of the human race thanks to Sinister's engineering, but also he had trouble getting the feral under control, whereas Rictor was used to street fighting but not to Northstar's well-coordinated hand-to-hand combat. Cap watched how Daken faked a 360 degree kick before he turned into the opposite direction and kicked Shatterstar straight into the chest; the man slamming into Bucky and taking him down with him.

"'kay, enough!" Logan said.

"You alright, amigo?" Rictor asked and helped Shatterstar up.

"No, I'm not!"

"Why? You hurt?"

"I lost!" Shatterstar growled and glared at Daken, clearly hurt in his warrior-pride.

"Well, one day you win, one day you lose. That's life, Star," Rictor shrugged and patted his friend's shoulder. "C'mon, mi amor, you're not seriously getting cranky now? Qué onda, amigo?" he asked and led him away and back into the circle that everyone was standing in.

When Cap saw how Daken approached Bucky he held his breath. He didn't even let it out as the feral merely held out his hand in order to help Bucky up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to be hit too," Daken apologized and began to frown as he noticed how Bucky flinched away a bit. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing…," the Avenger mumbled and took the offered hand, but noticed the look Daken gave him from aside. "Something wrong?"

"Why are you so afraid of me?" Daken demanded to know but couldn't press Bucky further as they were interrupted by Charles approaching.

"Logan? I need you to get a team together immediately and head to Québec city!"

"What's the matter?" Logan asked, picking up on the urgent tone in the Professor's voice.

"I used our makeshift Cerebro in hope to find more allies or friends. However, I picked up on two mutants in danger," Charles explained and looked at Cap. "If I am not mistaken Billy and Teddy where on your team?"

Cap nodded and came closer. "On our Youth-Team, yes. We haven't heard on anyone of them since the attacks have started. They are alive?"

"For the moment, yes. But I am afraid they are being hunted by our enemies. At least judging from their mental state."

"What on earth are they doing all the way up in Canada?" Bucky asked, forgetting about Daken for the moment.

"Maybe they are looking for us. Billy might be using his powers," Cap suggested. "Where exactly are they?"

Charles sighed and shook his head. "I don't know the exact location. I'm sorry. All I know is that they are in Québec city in the Beauport borough. Jean-Paul, you know your way around there, don't you?" he asked and began to frown as the man gave him a cold and hateful glare.

"I'm not going!" the Québecois said and crossed his arms defensively.

"Ya know yer way around there, so yer comin'! That's an order!" Logan growled. By now he was really getting pissed off by the Canadian's moody attitude.

"I said, Logan,…I am NOT going, t'sais?"

"'n I said yer comin'!" Logan growled and stared Northstar down, who did the same in return, then huffed and turned to head back for Magneto's mansion.

"Baise-moué l'ail!" the Québecois snapped but didn't reckon with Logan grabbing his arm roughly and pulling him aside.

"I've enough of yer goddamn diva attitude! He wants t'talk t'ya ya, yer ignorin' him so either get a fuckin' grip 'n listen t'him or get on someone else's nerves for a chance!" Logan snapped back and returned the glare he was given.

"You think it's about _him_?" Jean-Paul asked and snorted. "I won't set a foot into that city again! Never again!"

"Why?"

"I've my reasons…"

"Ain't good enough!" Logan grunted. "Our situation's already shitty enough, we need as many allies as we can get 'n two Avengers need help so we'll help them!" he went on, holding his opposite's angry look. "'n ya know yer way around there. Plus I need someone who's fluent in French next t'me. So yer comin'!"

As they sat in the jet later, Logan flying and Cap co-piloting, Northstar sat in the far back, arms crossed and eyes glaring out of the window. He refused to talk to or even look at the others, something that also didn't change when they arrived at their destination and gathered on the outside.

"Cap'n Bucky will go check that area here," Logan said and pointed it out on the digital map he was holding. "Jean'n I go here. 'n the two of you will go here," he went on, looking up when Northstar turned wordlessly around and left, forcing Daken to go into a jog to keep up with him. "What's the fuck's the matter with him?" Logan growled and parted ways with Cap and Bucky after checking the inter-comm.

"It's Jean-Paul's hometown, isn't it?" Jean asked while she linked arms with him.

"Yeah. At least after he was adopted as far as I know," Logan replied and let his senses do all the work.

"Maybe…something bad happened here? I mean he is usually the first to help others," she suggested and he shrugged. Jean looked around as soon as they entered the city and were surrounded by people. "I don't pick up on them here," she said and turned sharply to glare at a blonde that had just walked past them. "But she thinks your ass looks nice…"

Logan chuckled and pulled Jean closer, leading her over the street. "Jealous, darlin'?"

Jean cocked an eyebrow at him. "Her boobs are fake! So no."

Logan laughed. "I thought so…," he nodded and pulled her in for a kiss. "Besides I wouldn't trade ya for nothin'…."

"I hope so, mister," Jean smiled and snuggled closer into his side as he pulled her further towards him.

In the way opposite direction of them Cap and Bucky were walking down the street, looking around and paying attention to what people were saying. Maybe anyone had seen their former teammates, maybe something suspicious that would lead them to them. However, even after two hours they were still at the beginning.

"This is useless…," Bucky sighed and they came to a halt at a lifeless part of the city.

"Logan said they didn't find them either, yet," Cap said and lowered the phone. "Do you want to call Daken?"

Bucky huffed. "No, thanks. It already gave me the chills when he wanted to help me up…"

"So I noticed," the blond replied and made the call himself. "No luck either…" After putting the phone away again, Cap took a good look around before he nodded at some dark side street. "Let's go and take a look. Maybe we've got more luck with the darker parts of this city…"

"When in doubt, follow the rats…," Bucky sighed and followed Cap. "I just hope we're back home for breakfast. Looks like one long night to me."

"You might be right."

* * *

Daken felt like a dog. Just one without a leash…

Since they had parted ways he had been occupied with walking behind the Canadian, mind you: Québecois, in utter silence and also being completely ignored. He didn't know what to do or say, wanted to say so much actually since it was his chance to make things right again, but his senses told him perfectly well in what turmoil Northstar was and he was also aware of the odd looks that some people gave them, especially Jean-Paul, the whispers included. Jubilee had told him that Northstar was famous but obviously the man was far more famous, especially here, than he had expected…

They had just crossed another street and he had been looking around, scanning the shops to his right, as Daken suddenly bumped face first into Northstar, who had come to a sudden halt. Confused, the feral looked past the speedster and was about to ask him what was the matter, as he noticed the elderly man in front of them. He couldn't remember ever seeing such a hateful look, which wasn't actually hard without a memory…

"You dare to show your face here?" the man suddenly snapped and gave Northstar such a strong shove that he bumped into Daken behind him. "I had actually hoped you'd killed yourself by now!"

While Daken's eyes grew wide, Northstar's narrowed. "I won't give you the pleasure of that. And even if…there are newspapers!" he said and wanted to walk past the man as this one grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close.

"You don't speak to me that way, you goddamn faggot!" the man hissed and looked at the hand that had suddenly grabbed his wrist hard. His eyes darted to the Asian looking man and they narrowed. "Is that one of your kind?"

"I'm a mutant, yes," Daken confirmed and pulled the hands roughly off of Northstar. He got confused when the man huffed.

"Mutant… Who cares about you being a mutant?" he ranted and looked him up and down as if he was the most disgusting thing in the world. "You already look like a fag!"

"Excuse me?" Daken asked but the attention of the stranger was already back on Northstar, the poison in the air obvious.

"You have no business here anymore, you hear me? You should be ashamed of yourself to even dare to show up here!" the man hissed and the only thing Daken could do was to look to and fro between the two men. He had no clue what was going on…

He didn't know what he could do. That stranger didn't smell anything like Northstar, so he was sure that he wasn't any family member. He was also too old to be and ex-boyfriend or anything like that… However, as fast as the speedster's heart was beating Daken figured that something was really wrong here. "C'mon, let's go…," he therefore said and took Northstar's hand, a move that made the old man huff again.

"Already doing teens, aren't we? They should just lock you away or shoot scum like you straight away!"

"Right…," Northstar muttered and looked away.

"One would actually believe that you have learned," the man said with a shake of his head, his voice full of accusations. "Your teammates beating you half to death and you still don't see God's plan?"

Jean-Paul huffed. "Which is?" he asked, crossing his arms now.

"He spared you for a reason, to give you a chance of turning your back on your sinful way of life, to save you from the eternal fire!" the man said and Daken's frown deepened. "Instead you chose to go on engaging in a behavior that the Bible clearly calls an abomination! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Northstar's eyes narrowed and chose to reply in French. "The Bible talk again, huh? So you think God told my teammates to beat me up during the Olympics, to nearly kill me in order for me to lead a life that would be a lie?" he asked, ignoring the feral's confused look.

"They should have killed you and send you back to hell where your lot comes from!" his opposite replied in the same language, his face the same angry mask as Northstar's suddenly turned into. "Your lot should be rounded up and killed. At least this Apocalypse guy in Utopia is doing us that favor. He should have made sure you were executed right!"

"I have so enough of your bullshit and all the crap you pulled on me, Louis!" the speedster snapped in English, raising his voice. "I'd rather spend an eternity in hell than only one second in heaven with a bigoted, homophobic asshole like you!" he shouted and had barely said it as a fist connected with his cheek, causing him to hit the wall behind him.

"You are lucky that Genevieve didn't hear it. She's already weakened enough by this dreadful disease. Instead of her it should be you who's dying!" the old man threw back and before Daken could even blink he felt a wind going past him and Northstar was gone.

"Shit…," he cursed and walked a few steps, hoped to spot the speedster on the opposite side of the street or somewhere else, but the man was gone. While his hand searched his pocket for the cellphone, his eyes gave the stranger an angry look. He still had no idea who that man even was.

"Son, you're still young. It's not too late to…"

"I'm 42! And you better hope nothing happens to him, or I swear…!" Daken cut the man off and pushed him out of his way as he was heading down the street, following the still fresh scent while he waited for his father to pick up the phone. However, he waited in vain…

* * *

Minutes ago Cap and Bucky had been close to giving up. They had searched the darker areas, even checked up on the sewer, had entered abandoned houses…but there was no trace of their former teammates. Just as Cap was about to call Logan and call the mission off, Bucky and he had noticed a loud crash close by that had been followed by a loud shout. Not wasting any time, both had sprinted towards the noises and they had been right: on the ground lay Hulkling in his hulked-out form, unconscious and bleeding heavily. He was held by Wiccan, who was desperately trying to protect his friend and himself from the approaching men with his powers. The shield he was creating painted the dead end blue with its glow.

Not thinking twice, Cap took his make shift shield that Tony had invented out of his pocket. One shake was enough and the stick turned into a shield that was immediately thrown at the men. It was not before one of them turned around that Cap was able to identify him.

"Shit. That's Bastion!"

"You sure?" Bucky asked and began shooting back at the MRD soldiers.

"Positive! Don't let him touch you. I call Logan!" Cap ordered and held his shield up after catching it, his free hand quickly dialing Logan's phone. "We found them. You better arrive as fast as you can!" he said and put the phone away again, kicking an approaching soldier into the stomach before he brought his shield down on him. His eyes quickly darted towards Wiccan, who was breathing hard and barely able to hold up his defense anymore. He knew he needed to get over to him. However, Bastion seemed to be sure that the MRD was enough to stop Cap and Bucky, and had turned his attention back on Wiccan and Hulkling.

"Fugitive mutants detected. Calculating actions," Bastion said and raised his hand that began to glow pink. "Survival is not an option. Capturing is not an option. Kill the mutants!" A beam shot out of his hand and crashed against Wiccan's weak shield, the eyes of the robot never left the young man's, who desperately tried to withstand the attack but was too weak to do so. It didn't take long for Bastion's attack to reach through and hit Wiccan square in the chest.

"Billy!" Cap shouted after hearing the scream of his teammate and turned his head just in time to see how a shadow from above came down right on Bastion. After realizing that it was Logan, Cap felt a psychic wave going right through him and the remaining soldiers were out cold. "That was quick!"

"We were close by," Jean replied and focused on Bastion after she was sure that the soldiers wouldn't intervene anymore. "Isn't that…"

"Yeah," Bucky said.

"Mutants detected. Mutant identified as James Howlett, codename Wolverine, affiliation X-Men, birthdate unknown, birthplace unknown, course of action…," Bastion said while Logan remained in a crouched position in front of him, "…kill!" He raised his hand to shoot another beam but Logan jumped out of the way before the attack could have hit him.

Jean lowered her hand. "I can't get a grip on his mind," she cursed and met their enemy's eyes.

"Mutant identified as Jean Grey, codename Phoenix, affiliation X-men," Bastion began to analyze the situation, a frown suddenly visible on his face. "Course of action….kill the mutant!"

"Watch out!" Logan barked and Jean wrapped them into a cocoon, readying herself for any attack. Batsion however, remained motionless.

"Risk analysis…..unacceptable!" he added and suddenly flew into the air and was gone.

"Well…you obviously scared him," Bucky said towards Jean, who waited another moment before she dropped the shield and tended to the two mutants on the ground.

"Billy, are you alright?" Cap asked and helped the younger man to sit up, clearly noticing that he was close to pass out.

"They…they surprised us. We couldn't escape…," Wiccan coughed and pressed a hand against his chest wound. He was trying to steady his breathing as a thought crossed his mind. "Teddy!" he gasped and sat up too quickly, a sharp pain instantly forcing him to fall back again.

"Easy!" Jean said and turned her head to look at Logan and Bucky, both of them checking upon the unconscious man.

"He's alive but bleedin' heavily," Logan told her and she nodded.

"We should go. Both of them need medical attention and I don't want Sentinels to appear here next," the redhead said and got up.

Cap pulled Wiccan up in order to carry him, his eyes on Hulkling. The man was still in his hulked-out form, a fact that made it quite difficult to transport him. "Logan, can you carry him?" The feral nodded. "What about Daken and Northstar? We need to inform them that we're leaving."

"I already did," Jean informed him and was leading the way back through the alley, as Cap put a hand to her shoulder.

"Too many people!" he said but Logan went past him.

"She can block us from their view. Don't get yer panties in a bunch, Cap."

"Thanks for letting us know!" Bucky mocked and followed the group. While they were walking back through the city he took his time to look at the people that went past them. He could tell by just staring into their eyes that they were really not seeing the group. He felt like Harry Potter with the invisible cloak or like a ghost… His heart however dropped as they reached the jet again and he spotted Daken standing next to it. The guy still gave him the chills…

"Where's Northstar?" Logan asked since he didn't see the man anywhere, but his son shrugged, looking clearly worried. "Don't tell me ya had a fight…," Logan sighed and entered the jet, then carefully dropped Hulkling on a stretcher.

Daken watched Cap doing the same with the now unconscious Wiccan. "No…"

"But?" Jean asked.

"We ran into an older guy who was… Well they seemed to know each other and that guy hit him after being quiet homophobic," Daken explained and Logan cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Someone bein' only remotely homophobic usually results in JP punching that person…," he said but his son shrugged. "Ya couldn't find him anywhere?"

"No."

"That's great…" Logan sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Jeannie?"

"I can't locate him either. Maybe he ran back home? As fast as he is it would only take him seconds." She shrugged.

"Whatever… We can't sit here 'n wait," Logan muttered and closed the hatch. "We'll fly back."

"What if he's still here, father? I have the phone," Daken asked and the older feral sighed.

"Maybe Chuck or Jean can locate him via Cerebro. That is if he ain't already back home."

However, the speedster wasn't and so the Professor went to use the makeshift Cerebro while Jean and Hank tended to the two injured men.

"The wounds are quite deep," Hank said and began dressing them. "Cap said this young man has a healing factor so this one should do the work." He finished his work and put the equipment aside. "How's your patient looking?"

"He is more or less fine. Only minor bruises," Jean replied. "My guess is that his powers protected him mostly from the attack."

"Good. And you saw this Bastion?"

"Yes. He seems to be quite a powerful Sentinel."

"Tony said he's the Sentinel master or so," Hank said and crossed his arms. "He's still working on that virus of his."

Jean nodded. "I only hope we don't have to insert that virus into this Bastion…"

"That bad?"

"I couldn't get a hold on him. He has no mind or whatsoever. And he seems to be very powerful…," she told him, made sure their two patients were doing all right before she followed Hank to the outside. "I'm not quite sure how we are supposed to beat our enemies anyway. The East coast is a mess, everyday so many people are dying… The UN even refuses to send any more soldiers into that area and anti-mutant Semitism is getting stronger every day…"

"I know what you mean, Jean," Hank sighed and shook his head. "Going into that area without any good plan would be suicide. Let's hope Tony manages to…" He paused as a door was torn open and said man stormed out of the hangar in which the two Sentinels were kept.

"I'm a genius!" the Avenger announced and grinned broader than Hank had ever seen someone grinning. Well, except for Logan when he held his newborn children…

"I assume you finished the virus?" Hank asked him hopefully.

"Huh? No, I repaired Pepper's necklace!" Tony replied and disappeared around the next corner with the trophy in his hand.

Hank exchanged a look with Jean. "Sometimes I'm wondering if that guy is for real…"

"He is still a genius, Hank," Jean smiled.

"I know…"

She giggled but looked up as she spotted Charles coming their way. "Any luck in finding him?" she asked but the man shook his head.

"No. I hope he's only moving too fast for me to track him down and that our enemies didn't catch him," Charles sighed and buried his hands in his pockets. "Akihiro couldn't tell me a lot either. He's quite worried. But be too. I talked to James and Heather and they told me that it's not like Jean-Paul to simply disappear…"

"Who knows who that man was," Jean replied and he nodded.

"Anyway, if you want to try your luck…" Charles made an inviting gesture.

"I see what I can do." She nodded and they parted ways.

* * *

Night turned to day and even as the first rays of light sneaked their way through the curtains Daken was still lying awake on the bed, his hand absently stroking through the fur of the arctic wolf cub that he had named Yuki, which was Japanese for snow. He couldn't tell if he would hug or slap the speedster, if that one returned… He was worried, yes, his mind however, kept on replaying the incident and he was trying to figure out who that older man was. As far as he recalled Northstar didn't have any family left. His parents had died during a car crash when he had still been an infant, his twin sister had been shot by some mutant hater. So who was that guy?

A rather high-pitched noise forced him to awake from his daydream and his dark eyes fell on Yuki, now completely awake and waving her tail at him while showing him her pink tongue. It was then that he realized it was already time for breakfast, so he put the cub to the ground and gestured for her to follow him to the kitchen. There his father's eyes met his almost instantly.

"He still ain't back?"

"No."

"It's not like him to run away," Narya told Logan, who nodded. "Something must have happened. Who knows who that stranger was! Maybe he's working for our enemies and they've captu…" She was cut off as the back door opened and Northstar entered wordlessly, a rather large bruise still visible on his face and his expression more than just grim.

"Quoi?" he snapped and went for the fridge to get a cool pack out of it before he aimed for the kitchen door.

"Where have you been?" James asked him but was ignored. Daken, however, would have none of it and grabbed the man's arm.

"We were worried!" he said and tried to keep his voice calm.

"I wasn't!" Pyro mocked and grinned at Juggernaut, who returned it. "Were you?"

"Nah!"

"See? If it was up to us that fag didn't get enough on that gay-bashing party or wherever he got that way too small bruise of his!" he added and smirked at Daken, whose eyes had narrowed to slits. Before the feral or anyone else could say anything to that, Pyro was suddenly thrown through the window and found himself face first pressed into the snow.

"You'll listen to me now, shitfuck!" Northstar hissed and twisted Pyro's arm until the man yelped. "If you got a problem with gays, it's your problem, not mine. But if you ever call me a faggot again, you'll get to know a very different side of me, mon ami! And I can promise you one thing: it won't be a piece of cake for you. Are we clear?" he asked and gave the man another push before he went back inside and aimed for the door again.

"Hey, wait! What's gotten into you?" Scott said while looking at the mess but was rewarded with a dark glare.

"Fiche-moi la paix!" Northstar snapped and slapped Daken's arm away as this one wanted to touch him.

"Wait!" the feral called after him.

"Laisse-moi tranquille!" Jean-Paul barked at him and couldn't even tell where exactly he was heading until he also couldn't ignore Daken's calls anymore. He wanted to be left alone, wanted to calm down his racing thoughts and feelings first. He wouldn't be able to deal with the feral now, he could already tell the man would be able to see right through him and would get under his skin…

"Wait!" Daken called again.

"Okay, you want to know what happened back there, right? Fine!" Jean-Paul said at the same time as he was turning around, causing the feral to nearly bump into him. He saw how his opposite opened his mouth in order to say something but went on talking, knowing that he wouldn't be able to talk about it again at a later point. In the end, he didn't have anyone to talk to, and the need to talk to anyone and if it was a wall was beginning to eat at him. "The guy back there was my adoptive father, and on the long list of disappointments I'm by far the biggest one. And that asshole always let me know it!" Northstar said, forcing himself to keep his voice steady even though his heart was racing. He only wanted to throw himself at Daken and for him to hold him. "They adopted me when I was still an infant, they raised me and loved me as if I were their own blood… When my mutant powers showed he called it a _gift__of__God_ and told me to be proud to be something special," he told him and heaved a deep breath. "However, he is religious as hell. So one day we went through town and there were these two guys holding hands. He told me to look at them, that they were an abomination, Satan's spawns and would go to hell for their sin. That God only loved normal people and the Bible clearly said so. They should be rounded up and killed, he said. I was nearly sixteen at that time." He chuckled bitterly. "How was I supposed to tell him that I didn't care about any girl in my school and didn't know why, but that after seeing those two guys I couldn't get that picture out of my head anymore?" he asked but Daken figured it was rhetorical and remained silent. "I got interested in skiing and the trapeze that time. When Louis found out he mocked me and asked if I was a queer, said that real Canadian men played hockey. So I started training in secret. After my seventeenth birthday we got a new coach at school, a guy who was just out of college."

Northstar's eyes got a faraway look as he went back and a sad smile appeared on his lips. "I saw Marc and thought my heart would explode. He noticed my talent and started training me in secret after school. Then one day after a training session it just happened in the shower. But I couldn't tell my adoptive parents that I was gay or anyone else. In the end, he was kind of my teacher… So we started dating in secret, made plans for after my graduation, everything was going well for over a year…," he said and met Daken's eyes again, the look in his own changing once more into something that the feral couldn't quiet name. But he thought of it as regret. "Then one day I came home after another training session. I had barely entered the living room as Louis faced me and started hitting me. I knew that it was over and that he found out." He pointed at the faint scar above his eye. "That was his doing. From that moment on everything changed. He treated me like scum, my adoptive mother ignored me and fag was still one of the nicest terms he addressed me with," Northstar said and heaved a deep breath. "I think if I had already graduated, they would have kicked me out immediately. My adoptive mother began setting the table for two people only, they acted as if I wasn't even there anymore and if Louis didn't insult me or hit me he tried other ways to humiliate me. The worst thing however was when I returned to school. I had hoped they wouldn't know… Marc however had been fired. I think the only reason he didn't get arrested was because he was friends with the headmaster. Home back then was hell but school…"

He shook his head. "It was a nightmare. The day after Louis found out he dropped me off at school and said loud enough for everyone to hear that I shouldn't forget to go down on my knees for the teacher. In the end, that was how I'm earning my good grades. Someone had also taken a picture of Marc and me and it was pretty much everywhere, my locker had nice words painted all over it, and the teachers looked away as some students began to attack me. Shower after P.E. or training to some students was gay-bashing time. And no one, neither the teachers, nor the headmaster or the friends I had before did anything to help me. It was quite the opposite. One day the headmaster waited for me on the outside and told me that it would be better, if I didn't show my face at school anymore. I should come to graduation which would be in three weeks anyway. When I did I wasn't even allowed to enter the graduation. They wordlessly gave me my diploma and that's it. I arrived back home just to find my things in front of the house. Louis was at least so nice to attach a note to it that said if I ever dared to return, he'd kill me and that he'll pray for me to die as miserable as I deserved…" Northstar reached up to wipe his eyes. "So there I was with eighteen, homeless, without family or friends and only twenty dollars in my pocket… I left the city and somehow made it to Montreal. I changed my name from Martin, which was my adoptive parents' name, back to Beaubier and was lucky enough to get a spot at the national skiing team and with that a scholarship for college… I swore to myself that I'd never ever return to that place. I knew we'd run into him or anyone else from that time… And that asshole hasn't changed one bit," Jean-Paul sniffed with a shake of his head. "He's still the same homophobic jerk and I simply don't get it, you know? He raised me like his own blood, he doesn't care that I'm a mutant but he makes my life a living hell just because I'm gay! How ridiculous is that?" he asked and bit his lip. "That's also the reason why I was always so pissed off at you for hating Logan so much. You're lucky to have a father who accepts and loves you, and even encourages you to be with whoever you like because he wants you to be happy. And you still hated him…!" He heaved another deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. "Anyway, now you know…"

Daken didn't know what to do or say after the long confession. He was too shocked and speechless to react first, his senses overwhelmed with all the emotions he picked up on. "Wow…," he breathed and looked at Northstar, who was slowly raising his head, the bruise an angry mark on the perfect face. "I…actually wanted to tell you that you dropped the cool pack," he confessed and held it up, making Jean-Paul snort in disbelief.

"Great…"

"Are you…," Daken began and contemplated reaching out.

"I'm okay…"

"Sure?"

"Yeah…," Northstar nodded and hugged himself. He felt so cold… "What?" he asked as the feral gave him a skeptical look. His heart skipped another beat as a hand touched his bruise first, then cupped his cheek. He heard Daken sighing. "What?"

"You do realize you're shivering and have a fever? What did you do? Did you run at full speed in these damp clothes?" Daken asked and took the speedster's hand into his. "You're going to bed. Now! And you'll stay there."

"Hiro…," Jean-Paul began but felt too tired to actually resist being dragged down the corridor and towards his old room. "I'm fine with the couch in the…"

"No!" Daken cut him off and let go of the speedster's hand to turn on the shower. "You're going to take a hot shower while I ask Jean for some meds. And then you'll lie down and stay in bed!"

Northstar sighed and squeezed the back of his nose, his head pounding. "I can't deal with you being in the same room with me…," he admitted and was rewarded with a huff that reminded him too much of the old Daken.

"If you had given me the chance to actually talk to you, or better said listened to me at all during my countless attempts in the past two weeks…," he mocked and checked his hair in the mirror.

"Then what?" the speedster asked and even if he didn't feel comfortable right now began to get out of his damp and by now cold clothes.

Daken sighed, his heart had begun to race and his hand was already fidgeting with his shirt again. When he looked up again he noticed that two waiting eyes were looking at him. "Tsuita…," he muttered without thinking.

"What?"

"I lied…," Daken repeated in English and didn't see the frown since he was staring at his feet. "It was no mistake… It felt right. The whole situation was just too much and I couldn't handle it. So I said it was a mistake…," he admitted and waited for a reply but there was none. However, as soon as he'd looked up Northstar sighed.

"What's the Japanese word for idiot again… Aho?" he asked and shook his head. "What is it you want me to say, Hiro? What you said hurt, you know? So I kept my distance to you because of that."

"I only wanted you to know that I was sorry for being an idiot… You should go and take that shower. You're really not looking well…," the feral said and walked backwards towards the door. "I go and get Jean." He left and followed Jean's scent towards the conference room where the group had gathered around a screen, Rictor typing away on the keyboard and Tony staring at the screen full of anticipation. "Jean?" he asked and beckoned her to come over to him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked concerned and left the room with him.

"I think he's sick and has a fever. Do you have any meds for him to take?"

The redhead nodded. "I'll be with you in a second. He's in your room?" she asked and the feral nodded. "I'll meet you there."

"Okay, thanks," he said and went to the kitchen to make a tea, then back to his room where Jean was already examining her patient. She looked up when he returned and smiled.

"You were right. He has a pretty high fever," she told him and nodded at the bedside table. "I left you medicine. Make sure he takes one pill three times a day. Knowing him his healing factor will have taken care of it by tomorrow or the day after. At least it did so last time." She looked back at Northstar, who had wrapped the duvet firmly around himself and was shivering. "And you will listen to me this time and stay in bed, understood?"

"Trust me I don't feel like getting up…," the man replied and closed his eyes. "Thanks…"

"I hope so!" Jean got up.

"Thank you," Daken said and she nodded. "Why the meeting?"

"Oh, Tony is running a simulation on the virus he created. If the results are positive then we'll have a breakthrough," she explained and he nodded before he handed Jean-Paul the tea and a pill.

"Sleep!" he told him and accompanied Jean back to the conference room where everyone was still staring at the big screen in the back.

"Okay, done!" Rictor announced and turned to face the larger screen behind him. "That's all I can do. I'm good with computers but no real hacker."

"That's fine," Tony waved off and waited his eyes fixed on the small screen he was holding in his hands that showed one Sentinel in the hangar. He waited, his heart beating strong in his chest. The bar changed from 99 to 100%. The virus had been uploaded. The Sentinel should be showing any reactions… He waited ten seconds, then twenty…fifty… But nothing happened. "Damn it!" Tony cursed and ran a hand through his hair, feeling the strong urge to smash the small screen.

"Maybe the calculations are wrong?" Reed suggested.

"I don't make mistakes!" Tony insisted, face grim and began to type in commands. He had checked the calculations over and over again. They were correct. He was sure of it.

"It was worth a try, Tony," Cap said. "Maybe we should start concentrating on a Plan B…."

"There's no plan B, Steve! We can't rely on Magneto and Jean only to take care of these things. Especially since we don't even know how many Sentinels even exist. We would have to get our hands on Trask or Bastion in order to accomplish anything and…," Tony began his rant as Pepper suddenly pointed at the screen behind him. "What?" he asked and turned just to see how the Sentinel's eyes were glowing bright. "It's working…?" he asked and checked the mini-screen in his hand again, fingers quickly typing in some commands.

"Is it?" Fury asked while he remained in the corner, arms crossed and face skeptical.

"Jarvis?"

"_Sentinel overwrite done, sir. The Sentinel is now awaiting your commands!"_

"YES!" Tony cheered and grinned. "I knew I'm a genius!"

"Well, genius, then explain how ya want t'destroy all Sentinels with just one workin' Sentinel…," Logan grunted, he too skeptical.

"Two, dear! We've got two Sentinels!" Tony corrected him.

"And they probably have thousands…," Domino remarked.

"Yes, but we have the virus-loaded Sentinel, which means that this Sentinel," Tony said and pointed behind him, "will fly back to base with a nice written program in it, will upload said program to their main computer as soon as it's connected to the docking station and then, if we're lucky, will reprogram all Sentinels that are also connected to the main computer. Once done the result will be that, let's call them _our_ Sentinels, will turn against their former fellow Sentinels and the bases because they think they are their enemies." Proudly, he looked into the round. "Come on! At least clap your hands!" he demanded and Deadpool did so. "Thank you… I really appreciate it!" he sighed and looked at his screen again.

Logan was still skeptical. "So let's say this plan of yers is workin'," he began and shrugged. "Then what? We still got Sinister, Apocalypse, the MRD, the Devils, probably four new horsemen…"

"Hey, I'm the engineer. How you get rid of them is your business!" Tony mocked. "And the genius engineer will now go and test those Sentinels!" he announced next and left the room.

Cap sighed. "Well…maybe it's one step to victory…," he said bitterly and exchanged a look with Logan. "Suggestions?" he asked into the round.

"Maybe…," Logan grunted.

"I'm listening."

Logan, however, waved off and announced the meeting's end. When the teams began to leave, he told some of them to stay behind, waited until the door was closed and looked at them. "I'm changin' the teams," he announced and looked at them grimly. "I want ya in X-Force."

"What's X-Force? Something super-secret?" Deadpool asked and looked happy when Logan nodded. "I'm in!" he agreed with a thumbs-up.

"Why am I here?" Creed growled.

"Maybe our first super-secret mission is to go for a walk with you. Is there a leash?" Deadpool asked and looked around.

"I need people in this team that are willin' t'kill 'n t'get their hands dirty. All of us are assassins or were trained t'kill," Logan said and looked at Creed, John, Deadpool and Domino, then Wolfsbane. "The others ain't. 'n no matter what Chuck or some of the others think or say, we need a strike team. So….yer in?"

"Do I get a uniform?" Deadpool asked skeptically.

"X-Force has separate uniforms."

"Oh goody!"

"Let me guess…," Domino asked. "The rest is not supposed to know?"

"They know that Scott created X-Force, they don't know that I change the team, 'n they don't need t'know," Logan grunted and she nodded.

"Good. I'm in. I'm dying for some action," she said and stretched. "Why's your sonnyboy not here though?"

"Coz I don't want him in it."

"Why? You don't trust him in the end?" Domino smirked.

"Nope. Coz I want him t'start over 'n not t'continue livin' the life that's been forced upon him," he grunted.

"Hm…. He doesn't look happy though…," she mocked and Logan cocked an eyebrow at her. She nodded into the direction of the door.

Logan turned and spotted his son, who kind of glared at him. "Hey…," he muttered and swallowed hard. "Look…"

"This fell out of the shelf while I pulled a shirt from it," the younger feral said and held a small notebook into his father's direction. "On a word, father?" he asked and nodded at the door, walking towards it when Logan followed him.

"I didn't mean t'upset ya. It's just…"

"What? That you want to protect me?" Daken asked sourly and crossed his arms. "I don't know who I am. I don't know why people hate and fear me. But I'm sick of being pampered like some…baby!" he complained angrily. "I'm not a child. I can handle things!"

"I know," Logan said. "But I don't want my kids t'live the same life than I do."

His son huffed and shook his head. "As far as I know, father, I lived that life for all my life."

"Yeah. 'n ya got a second chance t'live a normal life, son. Don't just throw this away!"

"We are mutants, father. I'm half-Japanese. We're feral. We hide from others because most people hate us and want s dead," Daken listed. "What's normal about this life?"

Logan sighed. "I'm talkin' about killin'…"

"As far as I know I've done this already as a child, right? And it was you who told me that when you love someone, you have to be able to protect them. This is a war. What do you want me to do? Stay home and pretend everything's fine? How am I supposed to find out who I am?"

"Not by killin' people!" Logan insisted and his son sighed. "Look…," he tried again. "I know yer ridiculously skilled, much more than most of us. But this ain't the way!"

"But I can help. And I want to help!"

Logan heaved a deep breath, looked at his opposite and saw the determined look in his son's face. He knew Daken was an adult. That the man had to know himself what he wanted to do and what not. Still…he was his son… "Ya sure?"

"We wouldn't be having this discussion, if I wasn't!" Daken replied and the tone in which he said it reminded Logan a lot of the old Daken.

"Well I think I can't stop ya…," Logan gave in and his son smirked. His eyes then fell on the notebook. "So what's this?"

Daken shrugged. "It fell out of the shelf," he said and watched his father thumbing through the small book. "I guess I noted down my knowledge of our enemies or so…"

"Ya kiddin'?" Logan asked and couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Ya wrote down information on our enemies, their bases, their weakness and strength… Everything… Their contacts…" He shook his head and looked up, smiling. "Ya have no idea how valuable this is, son!"

"It is?"

"Absolutely!"

Daken shrugged once more. "Told you I can be of help…"

Logan chuckled and patted his son's shoulder. "I know," he replied and put the book into his pocket. "'kay… If ya wanna be on the team I guess I can't stop ya," he gave in. "Just know that I don't like yer decision!"

"Alright. I only came to give you the book anyway."

"Thanks. How's he doin'? Did ya talk?" Logan asked.

"Something like that to the second. At least he told me who that asshole back up there was," Daken replied. "To the first, he's pretty sick."

Logan nodded. "Knowing him he should be fine in two days again. Don't worry."

"I hope so. Anyway, I'll go to bed too. Good night."

"Night, son," Logan said and went back into the room, whereas the younger feral returned to his room and undressed, then tucked his son back in and made sure the wolf pup was sleeping. Before he got comfortable in bed he reached out to touch Northstar's face and was sure it was even hotter than before. He sighed and cuddled up to the speedster, who was still shivering in his sleep.

Unknown of him Tony had been working on his computer after he was done with the Sentinel, and had stumbled upon something of which he knew it would cause a major uproar. He had checked upon his findings twice before he had taken his computer and made his way to Cap's room. He knew the man wasn't sleeping, yet, and he was proven right as Bucky opened the door and all Avengers plus Fury and Domino where gathered in the room.

"What's the matter?" Steven asked him while he sat on one of the beds, looked at Tony expectantly, who wasn't too sure he should tell Cap in front of everyone.

"I found out who the mole is…or was," Tony finally admitted and Cap got up.

"Who?" he asked and also the other Avengers were all ears.

"I'm not sure I should tell you in front of everyone…"

"Why not?" Fury asked and walked over to Tony, who was watching him intently. "Who is it?"

"Well… As I said it's rather either _is_or _was_…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bucky asked.

"I guess it means that the person is still around or was around before," Parker shrugged. "So…I'd really like to know the _is_-part!"

"Me too!" Daredevil said.

"I think all of us!" Domino mocked. "And I've already got a good guess…"

"Oh, please… Not another chapter of your Daken-conspiracy, please…," Hawkeye sighed.

"Well…," Tony began and bit his cheek.

"Well what?" Fury asked. "Spill it! Who is it or was it?"

Tony took his time to look at them for a moment. He knew no matter which of the two names he'd say, it would have a great impact on the team. "I went through some files because I wanted to upgrade some uniforms. Reed and I are still working on Northstar's to make it possible for him to run at full speed without killing himself…"

"So he's the spy?" Parker asked.

"No!" Cap sighed and told him with his look to shut up.

"I noticed some log-ins that weren't my doing. And back then it was only me using the computer. The Professor had asked me to save all the data on missions too, as back-up. I also had all the information on strengths, weaknesses, powers and so on of every team member, since I was working on their suits. Also their jet was connected to my computer," Tony explained and looked at the device in his hands. "So whoever hacked into my computer did it through a channel that I never used and that Jarvis didn't pick up on. He downloaded every single information!"

"So that person knew where and when the X-Men were going on a mission," Cap concluded and Tony nodded.

"For example. I remember that Logan and the others got attacked several times by the enemy even though the enemy couldn't have known where they had gone. They once went on a mission to Japan and got attacked. Then the enemy tracked us down in Canada too," Tony went on. "They got this information due to my computer being connected to the X-Wing… They were able to track every step of us due to the computer… It stopped because the jet's was partially damaged."

The group was silent for a moment and let the information sink in. "So who is the spy? If he or she is still around us we need to get our hands on that person!" Cap said and Tony sighed.

"That won't be easy…"

"Why?" Domino asked.

"Because if it's the person that _was_ around, we can't get our hands on him. If it's the person that _is_ around, we'll most likely have to fight off someone who can become quite nasty…," Tony said and turned his computer so that everyone could see the two pictures on it. "It's either Forge or Daken…"

**I'm sorry that it took so long to update but I've been quite sick and still am. I hope every one of you has great holidays! I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! : )  
Thanks to all reviewers and so sorry for the long delay. I hope you like the new chapter. See you next year! Take care!**


	17. Chapter 15

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Sorry for the long delay. Still sick and everything. Thanks to all that left a review!**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 15**

"Nick, this is insane! We don't have solid proof!" Cap hissed and followed the man and Domino down the corridor. The whole situation was beyond ridiculous. "Tony said _maybe_, not that is…"

Domino turned to glare at him. "You don't know him, Cap! I do. He destroyed my team, he killed them and stole important information from us. That guy can make you believe anything he says and you'd believe him! You'd do anything for him, and no one would be able to tell that he's lying and only playing with you!" she snapped at him. "He's a psychopath, Cap!"

"Still we don't have solid proof! If Logan finds out…," Cap insisted but Fury huffed and stopped him by turning around and pressing a hand against his chest.

"You don't want to be part of this, then stay out of my way!" Fury told him matter-of-factly. "I read his file, you didn't. That guy is far more dangerous than Wolverine could ever be! If you don't like it, then go and run to Logan!" He turned sharply and headed back down the corridor. To his surprise Daredevil followed him too. However, if he was honest to himself it was no surprise at all. He knew Matt hated Daken and didn't trust him at all. What was he supposed to do now? Tony's findings didn't prove anything, they only said that either Forge or Daken were the spy, everything, motives included were pointing towards the latter… He, however, didn't believe it. So what was he supposed to do?

In the end, he went back to his room and addressed Tony straight away before anyone else could stop him. "Go through your files, try to find any solid proof that Daken is the spy!"

"Already on it but it will take some time," Tony replied.

"We don't have time, Tony!" Cap insisted urgently. "Fury was waiting for this, Dom and Matt too. I don't wanna know what they are going to do to him in order to get information out of him."

"Maybe we should stop them?" Parker suggested.

"But what if it really is him?" Clint asked while he was leaning against the wall next to the window. "Daken would be warned, if we intervened!"

"True…" Cap sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it!" he cursed and let his arm fall.

"How about that," Tony suggested while he was keeping an eye on Jarvis' analysis, "you go and watch them in secret. Take this with you and let me know where you are. As soon as I got something I'll come to you." He handed Cap a small device. "Just press the button and it will tell me where you are!"

"Alright," Cap said and nodded at Clint and Parker. "What about you?" he asked Bucky, who didn't give any sign that he would start moving any time soon.

"I don't want to be around this guy…"

"Okay, then stay here." Cap left the room with the two other men. "Fury got a head start. We better hurry!" he told them and started to jog.

In his room, Daken had woken up due to someone kicking him from time to time. Confused, he turned around just to find a shivering Northstar attached to him, face sweaty and shirt damp. He reached out, switched on the light on the nightstand and then touched the man's face. The skin was burning. "Just great…," he muttered and got up. After he had dried the skin and changed the speedster's clothing, he pulled him carefully over to his side of the bed and put a cold cloth on the man's forehead. If he was honest to himself he had no idea what he was actually doing here or how he knew what to do. He rubbed the back of his head and considered what to do next. Since he felt thirsty he left the room to head over to the kitchen as he was suddenly grabbed from behind, a hand covering his mouth rather forcefully.

"Not a word or I'll break your neck," Fury hissed into his ear, restraining the hands with a cuff and pulled the feral with him.

He was forced into a room far off the dormitories and to sit down on a chair. Confused, he looked at Fury, Domino and Daredevil, all of them glaring at him with Fury in the middle. He had no idea what was going on. "Would you mind telling me what's going on?" Daken asked and looked to a fro between them, shivering slightly since he was wearing black briefs only. He frowned at Fury's weird smile, the man standing in front of him with his arms crossed.

"For how much longer are you actually going on with that shit?" Domino said, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Going on with what?"

"Oh please…," Matt huffed and used the stick in his hand to tab it against the chair Daken was sitting in. The noise made it possible for him to see the man's face. "We know, you know? You can drop that act!"

"What act?" Daken asked and his head snapped back as Domino's fist met his jaw. He clenched his cuffed hands behind his back and looked up to glare at her. "What was that for?"

She laughed, made a half turn, shaking her head in disbelief. "We KNOW! We know it's been you, you're busted! So no reason to go on with your shitty acting. You may fool Logan or your pretty _girl_friend, but we've got proof, fuckhead!"

"He doesn't know what you're talking about!" Fury mocked and looked at Daken. "Right?" he asked but the feral didn't reply and chose to stare at him instead. "I read your file. You're an act, always getting your way by manipulating others around you. But you are a master of this act, aren't you? You know you're good-looking, you know how people react to you… It was a smart move, you know? Using a back door into the system? Playing your own team? You might appear to be a sweet, beautiful angel but deep down inside you're a monster!"

Daken let the words sink in and sighed. "I…have no idea what you're talking about. I lost my memory, remember? So I don't know what I did before…!"

"Yes, and we so believe that you do…," Domino mocked.

"Enlighten me!" Daken snarled and tore on the cuffs briefly but they wouldn't budge.

Fury was back to crossed arms. "Enlighten you? Okay," he nodded and acted as if he was thinking hard. "You…hacked into the system, stole the information, spied on your team's movements, gave the information to the enemies, so they always knew what was going on, and we found out about it just now!"

Daken returned the look he was given. He still had no idea what was going on. "Okay… Maybe I did. I don't remember," he simply said. "I know you hate me, I don't know what I did to you but I guess your hate is justified…"

Domino couldn't help but laugh. "You are so pathetic!"

"Fine, whatever," he rolled his eyes. "I don't know what I've done in the past. Is that so hard to understand?" he asked them but they didn't show any reaction. "I can't confirm your accusation, but if you don't mind, I'd like to return to my room and check up on my partner who happens to be very sick!" he added in complete annoyance and startled as Fury grabbed him by the throat and tilted him backwards until the chair was only standing on two feet.

"You like him, don't you? You care for him," the man said and squeezed his hand a bit. "Tell you what? Up to now I managed to break anyone during an interrogation. I'm not a nice guy, Daken. So don't make me go after your boyfriend and torture him in order for you to spill your guts. Because I _will_ go after him!" He let his arm fall and watched how Daken and the chair crashed to the ground.

Catching his breath, the feral looked up at the man with narrowed eyes. "Touch him and I'll kill you!" he warned Fury, who merely smiled. "I can't tell you what I don't know." He looked aside as Daredevil sighed.

"I'm sick of this act…"

"Me too," Domino added. "Can't we just…" She looked aside as the door was opened with aloud _bang_, half expecting for it to be a pissed off Logan. "Oh, you…"

"Finally grew some balls?" Fury asked but Cap stepped between him and Daken, giving Tony room who held up his flat computer tablet. "What's that?"

"Proof!" Cap replied and helped Daken up first, then uncuffed him. "I told you it wasn't him!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Tony made before Fury or Domino could start. "I checked up on it three times. It was Forge! Because dear Forge wasn't the real Forge but a shapeshifter as you can see here on this very picture I took from an old surveillance video. And dear fake-Forge was also responsible for the X-Men getting faulty uniforms, a reason why they called in yours truly, namely _me_."

"Logan would have figured, if Forge…, Daredevil began but Cap shook his head.

"We just asked the Professor. Logan never met the real Forge so he couldn't have known." He turned to give Daken a look. "You okay?"

"Yes…," the feral grunted and rubbed his wrists while his eyes were glaring at Fury.

"How about an apology to the Snicktling here?" Tony asked the group but Domino huffed, Daredevil looked away and Fury crossed his arms.

"No need to."

"Excuse me?" Tony asked and turned to look at Daken.

"I said no need to," the feral replied and began walking towards the door. "I don't know what I did before I lost my memory, but from the way some of you react in my presence or treat me, I guess that I didn't do nice things. So I understand." He stopped at the door, turning once more to glare at Fury. "However…, if you dare to threaten _him_ again, I'll be on your throat!" he warned him and left.

"Don't tell me you threatened him with hurting JP?" Cap asked, crossing his arms. "I mean seriously, guys, we are in deep shit. We need to work together and not against each other!"

Tony switched off the screen and looked around the room, how eyes falling on the handcuffs. "Thought he might have stolen them…," he muttered and was rewarded with a frown by Cap. He reached out to pat the man's shoulder. "Kinky stuff. You wouldn't understand!"

"I…don't want to know, Tony. I seriously _don't_!" the blond replied and raised both hands. He then headed for the door next. "And I'm tired. So enough of this shit."

"Me too. Plus…" Tony turned to grin at them. "I have a hot redhead waiting in bed for me, so…good night!"

"Well that went well…," Daredevil said and moved to leave the room too. He stopped at the corner as he heard Cap speaking with someone, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the low, sweet and magnetic voice of Cap's interlocutor. He always felt annoyed by this soft, warm and smooth voice that made the girls swoon and some guys even blush.

"Did you try cold leg compress?" he heard Cap asking and began to frown.

"No?" Daken replied.

"You should. It can help during a high fever. I can show you how to do those. It's easy," Cap offered and followed the feral back to his room.

"What's the matter, Matt?" Domino asked and Daredevil tilted his head a bit.

"Nothing," he waved off and went back to his room as well, but not to stop at Daken's door for a moment.

"His fever is pretty high…," Cap noticed and withdrew his hand from Northstar's face.

"I know," Daken replied while applying the leg compresses as Cap had told him. "Jean said he's got a weak healing factor."

"Hm… If he's still like this in the morning or his fever gets higher, I'd wake up one of the docs, if I were you…"

"Yeah…" Getting up, Daken gave him a look. "Thank you."

"Sure. And I'm sorry because of before. Nick can be a hothead," Cap apologized for his team members but the feral waved off. "Anyway it's late. Good night!"

"Night…," Daken muttered and waited for the door to close before he went to bed again, making sure not to wake his partner. Since he didn't feel like changing the sheets now he used the limited space he had left instead. He hugged his pillow, staring at Northstar from aside and still wondered what he might have done that had some of the others react to him this way. He made a mental note to ask his father later before he closed his eyes and heaved a deep breath.

* * *

"Feeling better?" Daken asked, almost over a day later, and sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes on Northstar, who was hugging the pillow and looking up at him tiredly.

"A bit…," the speedster mumbled and watched how the feral nodded at the tray on his lap. "What's that?"

"Chicken soup. You need to eat something."

"Don't tell me Jubilee cooked it…" The speedster pulled a face and sat slowly up, leaning against the headboard behind him.

"No, I did," Daken said matter-of-factly, sat back and watched the man eating. After a moment he reached out and touched Northstar's forehead. A move that earned him a questioning look. "Jean told me to check up on your fever. You had pretty bad chills at night…" He looked away again, waited for the man to be done with eating and put the tray away. The uncomfortable silence was bugging him. His heart began to beat faster as he looked up and noticed that Northstar was staring at him. "Your meds…" He cleared his throat and nodded at the bedside table, then left to take the tray back. When he returned again he went straight to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

"You're not really talkative. What's the matter?" Northstar asked him when Daken went underneath the covers.

"Well, it's you who was ignoring me in the past two weeks, wasn't it?" Daken grunted and adjusted his pillow.

Jean-Paul sighed and lay back down too, his blue eyes on the feral, who was looking back at him with a hurt look and slight pout. "You know why…"

"And I explained myself…"

"And I became sick right afterwards," Northstar groaned. "Don't be childish."

"I'm not!" Daken muttered and narrowed his eyes a bit. He kept on staring at the men next to him, who was still looking back. The silence was annoying him, but at the same time he had no clue what to do or say at all. In the end, he had apologized and explained himself…

"I'm just not in for another 'hey it was just a phase' or 'I come home and find my boyfriend with someone else in bed' episode. I had this shit in the past," Northstar suddenly said and quickly added, "And you just lost your memory. You don't know who you are or what you really want, Hiro. You barely knew what you wanted before… And I want you to be sure."

Daken rolled his eyes with a heavy say. He gave the speedster an annoyed look before he moved over and gave him a hard but passionate kiss that left the man breathless. "See? Sure!" was all the feral had to say before he switched off the lights and cuddled up. "And now sleep. You're sick."

"Euh…d'accord…," Northstar said but switched on the lights in the next moment. "I'd rather talk though… Ca te dit?"

Daken sat up a bit and rested his head in his hand. "Then talk…"

* * *

"No…," Jean smiled and sipped on her coffee once more, feeling how Logan came closer.

"C'mon…"

"No."

"Why not?" he grunted, a smirk visible on his lips as his arms encircled her waist.

She giggled and looked up to meet his eyes, noticing the playful gleam in them. "No!" She sipped on the coffee again, keeping her eyes downcast but feeling how he was still staring at her. She blushed. "Don't do that!"

"Do what?" Logan asked innocently, his smirk widening as she blushed even further. "Jeannie?" he whispered hoarsely and chuckled as she shuddered noticeably.

"This. Don't do that," she smiled, biting her lips and turned around to put the empty cup into the sink.

Smirking, he pulled her close and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Ya like that," he whispered and laughed when she reacted as he had expected. "C'mon…," he said again and Jean let out a heavy sigh. He let her turn around in his arms and watched how she reached up to cup his cheeks, then kissed him.

"…..no!"

He groaned and let go of her. "Yer evil!"

"I know. And I like it, honey," Jean smiled, patting his butt. "Come on. Off you go. I'd like to leave today."

"Maybe I should lock myself in then…," he grunted and aimed for the door.

"Very good idea if your wife is a teke!" she replied and made him groan again.

"Mornin', son," Logan greeted Daken, who was on his way to the kitchen and received a 'morning' back. "Could ya do me a favor?"

"Sure." The younger feral shrugged.

"Could ya watch over the kids until we're back? Might take a while though…"

"No problem," Daken replied and Logan smiled.

"In case it might take longer, Jamie has t'be in bed at 7, 8 the latest, the twins can stay up until 10, Ray 'n Laura go to bed at 9. But we should be back at 9 actually…," Logan listed and his son nodded. "'kay, thanks!"

"Yeah," his son nodded and gave him a brief wave before he went into the kitchen.

"Daddy? No pancakes!" his son squealed as soon as he saw him and Jean giggled.

"Blame Bobby. He ate all of them!" the redhead said and watched how the feral ruffled Kazuki's hair after kissing his cheek. "You're in a good mood today," she noticed and he grinned at her cheekily while he went over to the stove to make new pancakes. A grin that even reached his eyes for once and showed once more how beautiful he actually was, as she noticed. "Did Logan already ask you?"

"Yes, no problem," he replied and returned the smile he was given.

"Thank you," Jean said, still wondering why he was in such a good mood. While she sat back down, waiting for Logan to return, she watched the younger feral at the stove and smiled at Northstar when the man entered and seemed to be in an equal good mood.

"Morning!" the speedster greeted, wished Kazuki a good morning before he walked straight over to the stove, hugging Daken from behind around the waist and kissing his neck. "Cooking?" he asked, resting his head on the feral's shoulder.

"Yeah, he ate all the pancakes," the feral grunted with a nod at Bobby.

"I was hungry!" the man groaned after he had stopped chewing for a moment.

"You're a glutton, everyone knows anyway!" Jubilee teased him, stuck out her tongue at her husband before she grinned at the two men. "So…back together? Just say yes! I soooo know!"

"Are we?" Northstar asked sitting down, handing Daken a cup with tea while the feral handed him one with coffee at the same time.

"I don't know. Are we?"

"Oh, come on, you tease!" Jubilee cried and both men chuckled.

"Girls," Tony suddenly began and both, Northstar and Daken looked up simultaneously, a frown visible on their faces, "you know… I'm a big fan of you and all, and it's great that you love each other so much, not to mention that you make every guy jealous because the girls are gushing over you…"

Daken sighed. "What's your point again?"

"My point is…," Tony went on, "that I appreciate you loving each other so much, however, tune it down at night, will you? I couldn't sleep!"

Daken and Northstar exchanged a look with each other, then shrugged. "We didn't do anything at night."

Tony stared at them. "You didn't…?"

"No," the feral confirmed.

Tony raised both hands as an apology, then looked into the round. "Who of the boys was it?" he demanded to know and Madrox pointed instantly at Rictor and Shatterstar.

"What?" the Mexican snapped at him with a glare.

"Your room was soundproofed for a reason. So it must have been you!" Jamie shrugged and Rictor blushed besides his fuming.

"We watched the Doctor Who marathon in the living room, which was quite boring for me but Julio liked it," Shatterstar told the group. "So it wasn't us in any way."

"You sure it wasn't you?" Tony asked Northstar suspiciously who sighed.

"I was sick, so non!"

"Sure?"

"Oui…"

"Really? Because I'm sure it came from your room!" Tony insisted when Wiccan and Hulkling entered, looking completely content and smiling at each other. "Alright… Question answered." He went back to eating when his fork fell down with a loud _clonk_ and his eyes widened in shock. "Pepper… I think I went to heaven…," he stuttered stared at the door where a very grumpy Logan stood, glaring so much that no one dared to say a word.

Northstar smirked at him. "Why Tony, seeing something you like, mon ami? Switching sides?" he teased.

"What?" Tony asked, confused and still stared at Logan, who was glaring even harder at him. "Did you get run over by a lawn mower or what happened?"

"Shut…up!" Logan warned him. "Can we go _now_?"

Jean fought hard not to giggle and bit her lip. She was well aware of everyone staring at Logan and their thoughts made her smile. She was glad he couldn't hear them. "Actually I thought…," she began but he shook his head quickly.

"Nope. I ain't gonna shave completely 'n I ain't cuttin' my hair any shorter than this!" he warned her with a growl.

"I think you shouldn't. It's looking…"

"Shut it!" Rictor warned Shatterstar before this one could even finish his sentence.

"But I think it looks quite appealing, Julio. He kind of reminds me of Hugh Jackman in this Australia movie just with shorter hair," the redhead sulked and pouted after he was being glared at, but dared to give Logan another look.

"Uh….there was the bad name," Kitty muttered since Logan had begun to glare even more.

"And I look like a mop or what?" Rictor snapped at the redhead with a glare.

"Yes, you do," Madrox nodded and the glare was being redirected at him.

"I think it looks hot, Wolvie!" Jubilee winked at him. "Nice short hair and five o'clock shadow!" She giggled and gave him a thumbs-up.

"I think I've to agree," Northstar winked too and grinned teasingly.

"Great… Ya made the gays fall fer me, hope yer happy, Jeannie," Logan grunted and took Jean's hand into his before he pulled her out of the room with her. "Stop gigglin'!"

"What happened t'ya?" Creed growled as Logan nearly bumped into him at the door.

"Nothin'! Shut it!"

"Ya look like twelve," Creed grumbled and eyed his younger brother with a dark look.

"Ohhh, I see, you've got a date, right?" Deadpool asked, eyeing the annoyed Logan from head to toe skeptically. "Well, I must say I look way better, so how about dating me, Jean? I also talk more, I'm sexy, I have a nice ass…"

"No, you don't…," Daken mumbled while he was chewing on his breakfast.

"What? My ass is nice, Princess! And besides…"

"No, it's not!" Northstar and Daken said at the same time.

"Thanks, Wade, but I have to decline," Jean smirked, interrupting Deadpool and dragged Logan past them towards the hangar where Charles was waiting.

The moment the Professor let out a chuckle, Logan began to glare daggers at him. "Not…a word, Chuck!" he warned him sourly.

"I apologize, Logan, but you look like…," Charles began, smirking, "Well, never mind. I assume the others don't know?"

Jean shook her head. "No, they think we're going on a date."  
"Good. Please be careful! I'll try to stay connected to you all the time." Charles returned the nod he was given. "I placed your uniforms in the jet. In case anything goes wrong let me know immediately and I sent another team in!"

Nodding, the couple entered the jet and Logan sat down in the co-pilot seat, much to Jean's astonishment. "What? Ya forced me t'go naked, ya made me the object of our gays' desire, ya just gave me hell on earth AND…they compared me t'that idiot coz of ya! So ya can drive…," he told her, sulking playfully and took the file Charles had left for them.

"Poor honey…," Jean smiled and started the jet's engines. "I assume you want me to fly loopings again?"

Quickly, Logan looked up. "Don't ya even dare!"

After Charles has watched the jet disappearing through the hatch, he left the hangar just to run straight into a smiling Magneto.

"So….already sending your best on secret missions, Charles?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Erik," the Professor replied and walked past his still smiling friend, hands buried in his pockets. "They are going on a date."

"Oh please…" Erik huffed, following him. "They are going on a mission!"

"And even if, it's none of your business, old friend," Charles smiled and left Erik standing in the corridor.

The master of magnetism watched him leaving before he entered his own rooms again. He rolled his eyes at the sight of his son. "What do you want?"

"What I want?" Pietro repeated in disbelief. "I want to know when we are finally going to look for my sister!"

"Oh, so you know where she is?" Erik mocked and poured himself a drink.

"No, but…"

"Go and do your work!"

Enraged and in utter disbelief the younger man stared at his father speechlessly. "You might not care about your daughter, but I care about my twin sister!"

"Well, then go and save her," Erik shrugged and sipped on his glass. "You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" Pietro asked.

"She has the power to ruin us all, to bring the world to the brink of ruin! If, whoever has her, makes her wish that mutants have never been born then we'll be history! If Apocalypse makes her change that Jean has ever been born or risen again, then we are history! Do you understand that?" Magneto said angrily and returned the glare he was given. While he didn't take his eyes from his furious son, he walked back over to the door to leave the room. "Compared to all the mutants in the world she doesn't count anything! And neither do you!" Without another look he left and went to look for Pyro, who he finally found in the corridor to the rec-room.

"How cute!" Pyro mocked as he watched how Daken dropped Jamie next to Kazuki to the ground. "Playing modern family?"

"Don't you have anything to do?" Rictor asked and looked up from the couch.

"Does he ever?" Northstar muttered while he sat on the ground and played cards with Remy, the twins, Rachel and Laura.

"No… Unfortunatley not…," Rictor sighed and slumped back against Shatterstar's chest.

"Well this room is too gay for me anyways…," Pyro mocked and smirked at Magneto as he noticed how Daken was suddenly coming over to him. "What?" he snapped, glaring at the feral when this one reached out to lean against the doorframe with his right arm, eyes scanning Pyro from head to toe first, then coming to a halt when he had reached the eyes again.

"Why don't you just tell Bobby you've got the hots for him, huh?" Daken asked and the adults in the room behind him began to snicker much to Pyro's anger. "I'm sure he'll understand. And then you can stop acting like a complete moron and be your sweet out-of-the-closet-self…"

"You think so?" Northstar asked and turned around to give him a playful questioning look, and Daken turned his head briefly to shake his.

"No, I was only trying to build up his courage," the feral said mockingly. "But well, let me rephrase it."

"Do that!" the Québecois nodded.

Daken turned back to look at Pyro. "In other words…piss off!"

"Or what, Jap?" Pyro asked, hand ready to use a flame but Daken merely smirked at the slur.

"Or…the next time we have breakfast together I will make such a fool out of you that you wish you've never been born," he replied, still smirking.

"How about I burn your fucking pretty face off?" Pyro sneered, a flame shooting out of the device in his hand.

"Yes… Because it so don't have a healing factor…." Daken laughed. "God, you're so pathetic, really."

Magneto's hand shot out to grab Pyro's wrist before the man could start a real attack. "Leave it!"

"Tell you what, _John_," the feral said, face completely serious now and arms crossed. "You react this way because you are jealous. You're jealous of everyone that is happy, has a partner or family, and yes, even the queers have a family and are happy while you, little Pyro, have nothing. You're all alone. Since we discussed this now how about picking on someone else for a chance, because you sure as hell annoy me quite a bit by now!"

"Think I care?"

"Think I do?" Daken huffed and glared back at the man in front of him, who was finally pulled aside by Magneto.

"For how much longer will they be here anyway?" Pyro went into a rant.

Magneto sighed and was about to reply as Pietro suddenly came to a halt next to them. "What is it now?" Erik asked, annoyed and gave his son a neutral look.

"You're really asking, _father_?" his son seethed and was clenching his fists in anger. "We are just pawns to you, aren't we? You don't even give a damn about your own children!"

"In a war everyone is expendable and if I have to kill my child in order to save our race, then yes, I will!" Magneto replied through clenched teeth. "And now go and do your work!" he added before he turned to leave with Pyro, not seeing how Pietro stared at the ground in shock for a moment, then raised his head.

"No… I won't. I'm not part of your team anymore,…_Erik_...," he said and turned around without giving his father another look.

"Well, then don't forget to empty your room. We need it for the Brotherhood," he heard Magneto saying without even a trace of regret in the man's voice. As he dared to give him a last glance he noticed Pyro smirking at him.

In the rec-room Lily turned back around just in time to see Remy playing a card. "I don't like him…," she said, playing hers. "He's always mean to daddy and others."

"Well, you're not de only one, chérie. Lot of us don't like 'im," the Cajun muttered and groaned aloud. "Da petite won again!"

"Of course she did. Lily always wins!" Laura smirked and high fived her sister.

"Yeah, because she's cheating!" Jack grumbled.

"Am not!" Lily replied.

"So are!"

"No!"

"Yeah!"

"Hey, no fighting!" Daken intervened and the twins stopped but not before stinking the tongue out at the other.

"Hey, Pietro!" Rictor called as the other speedster walked past the door. He waited for him to come inside and to sit down on a couch with a heavy sigh. "When you're leaving the team, does that actually mean I can leave it, too, amigo?"

"Sure," Pietro shrugged.

"Hey, what about me? You can't just leave the team! What am I supposed to do without you?" Shatterstar cried and gave his partner a look as if he had just slapped him.

"Star…with _I_ I mean _us_, mi amor," Rictor said in order to calm him down.

"Well, everyone can leave the team… You just have to find a new place to sleep obviously…," Pietro huffed and leaned back into the couch, looking sour.

"You can sleep in our room!"

He laughed. "That's nice of you, Rachel!"

"Where are mommy and daddy anyway?" the little redhead asked and looked at her oldest brother with big, green eyes.

"I don't know. A date I guess…" Daken shrugged and watched how Jamie kept on throwing a ball for Miloh to get it but the wolf simply looked after it and yawned.

"But they never go on a date except it's for their anniversary!" Lily said and her twin nodded. "And that's one day after our birthday."

"I bet they are on a mission…," Jack sulked.

"I don't know anything about a mission, so I can't tell," Daken sighed.

"Remy dinks it's too dangerous for dem to go on a mission alone," the Cajun said, then realized that Daken and Northstar gave him a rather sour look, the children on the other hand looked shocked. "Eh…. I mean not dat dangerous! Don't mind Remy…"

"Impressionnant, Remy!" Jean-Paul mocked and shook his head, his eyes falling on the clock. "Bedtime for the babies."

Daken looked up. "You're right… Jamie, Kazu it's bedtime!" he announced just to cock an eyebrow as his youngest brother suddenly scream "No!" and ran out of the room. "What the hell?"

"Did daddy not tell you that Jamie hates bedtime?" Jack snickered.

"He always runs away and hides then," Lily nodded.

"Great…," their brother sighed and got up.

"Have fun, handsome!" Northstar winked at him and joined the children in laughing when a low growl was audible in the feral's chest.

* * *

As he woke up, his mind taking notice that he was laying on something warm, he felt a hand stroking lazily through his hair. Opening his eyes, he looked up and smiled since Daken was once more immersed in a book and didn't take notice of his surroundings. "They are still not back?" Jean-Paul asked, his voice still thick with sleep and he adjusted his head on the feral's lap.

Daken sighed. "No… It's past midnight…"

"Really?" Northstar asked, stretching his neck until he could see the clock. "Hm…"

"Hm indeed…" Daken sighed, closed the book and put it on the bedside table to his right. His eyes fell on Miloh and Callie, who lay curled up on a blanket and were deeply asleep, Yuki snuggled up to them. Also Jamie and Kazuki were sleeping soundly to his left. He was sure something had gone wrong…. His eyes darted downwards as Northstar adjusted his position on his lap, now looking up at him. "Tired?" he asked him and reached out to caress the man's cheek.

"Oui…"

"Then sleep."

Northstar sat up, resting against the headboard too. "Hm, non. I'll stay awake with you." His eyes fell on the book on the bedside table. "What were you reading?"

Daken shrugged. "Some Japanese book on samurai from my father."

"Read it to me!"

He cocked an eyebrow at the speedster. "You won't understand anything…"

Northstar shrugged and rested his head on the man's shoulder. "I don't care. J'aime ta voix." He noticed the faint blush on Daken's cheeks and tried to follow the signs on the pages as the man began to read, but soon gave up on it and closed his eyes to simply focus on that deep but melodic voice.

* * *

Later and oblivious of everything, Logan hid behind a corner. His eyes were dark as he was watching how four MRD soldiers were patrolling the corridors. He wondered how they had gotten inside, why no one was alarmed and ready for battle. Maybe they had been taken out by surprise and were already in cages, ready for transportation? Snarling, he extracted the claws and sneaked all the way down the corridor, aiming for the soldiers in his way. Before they had even realized it they lay on the ground, dead and their throats cut. Where the hell was Jean?

Like a ghost he moved through the corridors and towards their room. He was sure his son was in there, if Daken hadn't picked up on the threat, yet, and was watching his children. However, the room was empty, the bed and walls bloody. His heart was in his throat as he went quickly into the room of his children, even more so as he found their beds bloody and empty. Growling, Logan's eyes darkened as fury took over and he left the room again, determined to kill each and every one of the intruders until he had found the one responsible for the attack. Noiselessly, he kept to the shadows, hacked and slashed his way through their lines, wondered where the others were, especially Charles and Jean. No way in hell that Jean would be easily captured, except… He came to a halt, his eyes staring blindly ahead. Except they had their children… His head jerked aside as two MRD soldiers came closer and he pressed himself into the shadows against the wall, listening to the conversation.

"So what are we going to do later?" the soldier to the right asked, clearly a male.

"No idea. Any suggestions?" the one on the left, a female asked.

"How 'bout dyin'?" a low growl became audible behind them and, before they had even completely turned around, the male soldier's head was impaled on a pair of claws, the body instantly dropping to the ground.

The female was too surprised as two arms grabbed her next, arms pressed against the ground while claws pressed against her throat. "What the…?"

"Yer gona tell me know where the X-Men are!" Logan growled.

"Have you lost your mind?" the female asked but held her breath as claws began to pierce her skin. "Please… What's gotten into you?"

"Where are they?" He hissed, not caring that the claws drew blood.

"Come to your senses!" she begged.

"Wrong answer!" In a blink of an eye his claws slit her throat with a clean cut, blood splattered the ground and wall, also his clothes as he got up again.

Something was wrong, his senses were on high alert. The only way out for them, if they had indeed captured the team, was through the hangar so he went that way. The blood was boiling in his veins as he thought about his children who sat scared and crying in some cage, teased by those soldiers. Jogging, he reached the hangar but found it empty.

"Wolverine!" a voice suddenly barked behind him, making him turn his head sharply and there they stood. Soldiers in a row, their weapons pointing at him…

He growled aloud as his darker side took over, extracted the claws and aimed at them at full speed.

"Watch out!" their leader shouted and they tried to scatter in time for the claws ripping through them. "Stop it, Wolverine!" the man barked and watched how one after the next of his men were torn to pieces by the raging mutant. It didn't take long and he was the target. His hand reached up to the side of his head, ready to attack as Wolverine suddenly turned and rammed his claws right through his neck. Gurgling blood, the soldier went down, his eyes never leaving the beast in front of him. "What…did you do?" he whispered. The last thing he heard was that the huge door behind him opened and someone entered, then everything went black.

Wolverine looked up as the door went open. Not waiting long, he instantly charged and rammed his claws right through the female's chest. Her eyes gave him a shocked look as her hands reached out to take hold of his arms in a vain attempt to steady herself. He growled through his heavy breaths, his black eyes glaring at her, even more so as she reached up to touch his cheek.

"Logan…?" she breathed and went limp in his arms.

Confused, Wolverine gently dropped her, his eyes darting around for more threats but none could be detected. His eyes looked back at the soldier in front of him. How come she knew his name?

It was then that his vision began to shift, making him feel nauseous. The shifting only lasted a few second and he found himself still sitting in the same corridor and on the same spot. However, something felt different. He had his answer as he looked down again and his heart seemed to freeze. His entire body began to quiver, coldness seeped into his veins and he forgot to breathe as he looked into the face of the woman he had just killed. Her body was no longer covered in MRD gear but black leather, her hair no longer brown but bright red… Uttering an odd noise, he backed off as far as he could, crawling backwards until his back hit the opposite wall, his eyes never leaving her dead body. His breathing came in small and way too fast puffs as he slowly began to realize what he had just done.

Slowly, his head turned and he looked through the open door into the hangar. There on the ground and closest to the door lay Cyclops, blood still seeping out of his neck, Spider Man and Remy close by, both with multiple stab wounds, Quicksilver, whose head had a been snap and was now hanging loosely on the spine, Rictor and Shatterstar, whose heads were missing entirely…. Averting his eyes, Logan slowly looked to his left, his heart thundering in his chest. Like a marionette, who was guided by someone else, he got up and walked back to the spot where he had killed the two soldiers. As he reached it, it were Nightcrawler and Storm who stared up at him with dead eyes. A few meters away the four soldiers had turned into Colossus, Iceman, Kitty and Jubilee…

The next he realized through a veil of fog was that he was cradling Jean's limp body in his arms, face buried in the crook of her blood-covered neck, crying as if there was no tomorrow and not noticing the smiling figure close by, who reached out to lay a hand on the man's shoulder next to him.

"Good work," the feral smirked and his dark eyes looked back at the sobbing and devastated Wolverine. "Everything's going according to plan."

"You were right. A well-timed attack did it," the man next to him, who wore a round, glass-like helmet that covered his entire head, replied.

"Of course it did. I told you so," the feral smiled. "On to plan B. You'll be fine?"

"Sure."

"Good. Until later." Turning, the feral waved good-bye over his shoulder and disappeared around the corner, chuckling, as he heard the loud and pained roar of Wolverine…

**I'm sorry for the long delay. Still sick and I went from doc to doc to doc to doc… Those on FB know the odyssey. I know the chapter is much shorter than usual but I wanted to end it here, so that the next chapter can entirely focus on the main part. I don't know if I can update soon. I have my final oral sports exam in didactics coming up and have to study a lot. But I'll try. Thanks to all reviewers and please let me know what you think! **


	18. Chapter 16

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Sorry for the long delay. Still sick and finally (and hopefully…) found a doc that actually seems to know what's wrong. Well, it only took 7 months and lots of docs for it. I just hope he can fix the problem with my vertebrae because it's annoying the hell out of me by now. Thanks to all that left a review!**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 16**

He had known this day would come sooner or later…

While his eyes stared blindly at the pool of blood that was still gathering on the ground, his arms holding the body close while he was rocking back and forth, he didn't see the approaching man to his right, who was smiling devilishly.

"So pathetic, Logan…," the feral said and walked a circle around the man, who still didn't take any notice of him. He went into a crouch and simply looked at him, then reached out to give the head a push. "Really pathetic. Going into a shock because of worthless people? But then again…ya were always like this, weren't ya? Caring for others? Caring for people that are worth nothing?" he asked and snorted. "That's why ya lost." Sighing, he got up again, his cold eyes looking down. "I'm really ashamed to be related to someone as weak as ya…"

"For how much longer do you want me to keep him in that state?"

The feral looked aside at the man with the huge round plexiglass helmet on his head and the violet cloak around his shoulders. He hated it that he couldn't see through the glass but that his opposite could very well look at him. "Not much longer, Mysterio. You did well."

"Of course I did."

Both turned their heads as they heard someone coming closer and made a step back. Sinister looked down on Logan with cold eyes. "Well?" he asked expectantly.

"Everything going according to plan," Mysterio said.

"Is that so?" Sinister asked and looked at the feral. "I still want him locked up, Romulus. I'm running out of material to clone him and the DNA from Daken is simply useless. But what to expect from a non-pure mongrel?"

"That cage in yer lab then?" Romulus asked and received a silent nod. "Wild Child, show my son his new home, would ya?"

The addressed feral snickered and came closer. "With pleasure, master."

While Romulus watched how Wild Child pulled Logan with him, Sinister gave him a look from aside. "I must admit I underestimated you. I never would have thought that catching the Wolverine would be that easy," he mocked before his eyes became hard. "Too bad though that Phoenix was able to escape and took two valuable mutants with her, don't you think?"

Romulus snarled. "My son is far more valuable than all of yer mutants combined, Sinister. Ya just have to know how to condition him. And obviously…ya don't or else we wouldn't have to put on such a show. Don't ya think?" he sneered and turned around to leave, only smirking at Sinister's glare.

* * *

Slowly torn out of his dream he let out a weak moan in protest as someone was shaking him awake. Thinking that it was Jean-Paul, Daken was surprised that he was leaning against said one, who was deeply asleep, still holding the Japanese book in his hand. They must have fallen asleep while he had been reading the samurai story… As he blinked and his vision cleared he realized that it were in fact Jean and the Professor standing next to him. His heart sank. "What happened?" he asked since both looked completely serious and alarmed.

"I'm afraid nothing good," Charles sighed, keeping his voice low. "We are currently putting together a team and were wondering if you were willing to help?"

"Of course." Carefully, Daken turned and laid Jean-Paul carefully down, then scribbled a short note which he put next to the speedster. He followed Jean and the Professor to another room where some of the others were already waiting.

"Where's Tony?" Jean asked.

"Probably still sleeping," Cap replied and she sighed before she put her hand to her hand and concentrated.

In his room Tony woke with a start as he heard the voice in his head, waking up Pepper in the process. "What is it, Tony?" she mumbled sleepily and cracked an eye open. He was sitting next to her, eyes still wide open.

"I think I just got mind raped…"

"What?" Pepper asked, confused and sat up, her hand reaching out to switch on the light.

"I was just abused and you didn't notice, Potts!" he said and kissed her on the lips before he jumped out of bed to get dressed.

Completely confused she watched him. "Do I have to understand you, Mr. Stark?"

"Don't you always, Miss Potts?" he asked innocently while pulling a shirt over his head.

Smiling weakly, Pepper cuddled up to her pillow. "Now seriously, Tony, where are you going?"

"Emergency, I guess," he shrugged and leaned in to kiss her again. "Go on sleeping."

"Be careful!"

"Am I not always careful?" he asked, feigning shock and smiled when he received another kiss. "I promise."

"I mean it!" Pepper warned him as he had already reached the door.

"I got it! I got it! Be careful, stay out of trouble," he nodded and closed the door behind him.

"So, here I am. Why the mind rape in the middle of the night? Did you miss me that much and couldn't wait until the morning?" Tony asked the group as soon as he had entered the room in which the others were waiting. "Of course you missed me. Who wouldn't?" The serious faces, however, alarmed him. "Okay, what happened this time?"

"The enemy caught Logan and we are currently planning how to free him," Cap informed him while he was going through some files, thinking about who to take with him. "I'm putting together a team and need you on it."

Tony frowned and turned his head to look at Jean. "So it wasn't a date?"

"No, I sent them to free a mutant I picked up on," Charles sighed and rubbed his temples. "We need to free Logan as soon as possible. We can not risk that Apocalypse turns him against us again." He reached out to put a hand to Jean's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself!"

"I shouldn't have left…," she muttered and buried her face in his hands.

"You did as he told you, Jean. We'll find him, don't worry," Charles tried to calm her and looked to his right as Steve came closer.

"Logan can take care of himself, Jean. And we'll free him no matter what," he promised, earning a weak smile of the redhead. "I analyzed the location you gave me. As soon as we have a team we are good to go."

Nodding, Charles looked at the small group. "Who will you take with you next to Jean and Tony?"

Cap gave Daken a look, who had watched the whole conversation in utter silence up to now. "I could need someone with your skills actually…," he said.

"Are you sure about that?" Domino asked and rolled her eyes at the look she was given.

"I am sure. Since you don't agree on it apparently I see no need in taking you with me," Cap replied and ignored her surprised look before he tended to Daken. He was sick of the constant and never ending bitching. "You ready for this?"

"We'll see…," the feral shrugged.

"Well the suit for the Snicktling here is ready," Tony said. "Since you lost your memory you might appreciate the design now. I'll go and suit up, follow me," he added before he gave Steve a last look. "Meet up in the hangar?"

"Sounds good." Cap nodded.

"Who else do you intend to take with you?" Charles asked and crossed his arms.

"I'm not too familiar with your team, yet. Logan is the one who know all teams by heart."

"Well, Jean is out of question. You'll need her and in case Logan goes feral you'll definitely want her to be at your side," Charles said and thought hard. "I'd suggest Colossus and Nightcrawler. I'd also suggest Scott but since he joined Magneto we are not really on talking terms with each other…"

"I was thinking about Bucky and Clint," Cap added. "And as much as it pains me but I guess it would be a good idea to take Deadpool with us too…"

"May I suggest Creed?" Jean asked and received surprised looks. "When it gets rough we need someone like him. Plus he's very protective of Logan and would do anything to get him back."

"Right…" The Professor nodded.

"Wiccan and Hulkling too," Cap thought out loud. "Rictor and Shatterstar might also be a good offense. I think that's all."

When the Professor realized that Cap wanted to go and wake said men, he reached out to stop him. "Let me," he offered and concentrated briefly. It didn't take long and the men arrived. After Charles had explained the situation Creed glared at Jean.

"Ya left him?" he growled and Jean gave him an indefinable look.

"I had no choice. He jumped at that Sentinel and put the jet on autopilot while I was taking care of…"

"I don't give a shit, frail!" Creed snapped.

"Easy!" Cap intervened and stepped between the two. "The more time we waste fighting, the less time Logan might have!" He looked at Creed. "If you come with us then I won't accept any solo-missions, understood? Don't think I forgot what happened in Germany!"

"Think ya can threaten me?" Creed growled and his eyes were narrowed to slits.

"It wasn't a threat!" Turning away from him, Cap faced Jean again. "If you're ready we can leave." After a nod from Jean, Cap led the way to the hangar where Tony was already waiting in his armor, while Reed adjusted Daken's uniform.

"The plates on your arms will protect your bone claws. However, they are not unbreakable!" he warned the feral, who simply nodded and was glad that the man finally stopped touching him everywhere with these weird long arms of his. His eyes were still staring at Reed's far too long throat in disgust. "How do you like it? Is the fit okay?"

"It's…," Daken began as a hand slapped him on the shoulder and Deadpool started his rant.

"Your ass looks fat in this, Junior. I don't think your better half would approve. Or perhaps you gained weight and this makes you look fat….?" He looked at Daken critically, who simply glared back. "You're not pregnant, are you? If, I won't help changing diapers and I won't babysit. It was already hard work to get him used to the litter box." He pointed at Creed behind him.

"Do you want to try out your claws through the gloves?" Tony asked Daken. "If, please feel free to use him as your test dummy!"

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Deadpool asked but Tony closed his visor. "I'm just concerned for Princess here. I wouldn't want to squeeze a baby through my…"

"Oh pleaaaaase shut up!" Rictor cried and covered his ears, then noticed the shocked look on Shatterstar's face. "Don't you dare even finishing your thoughts, amigo!" he warned him.

"But…."

"No!"

"But, Julio…"

"No! Men can't become pregnant, Star, so don't even finish your thoughts!"

Cap sighed and shook his head, Wiccan and Hulkling next to him. "Are they always like this, Cap?" Wiccan asked and the look he received spoke volumes. "Ooookay. Maybe the idea of coming here wasn't so good in the end, Teddy…"

The tall blond next to him nodded. "You might be right, B…."

"Guys, we need to get going!" Tony urged them on as the hangar opened and Remy joined them.

"Da Professor called me. 'e said da Wolverine is in trouble?" he asked Jean, who nodded.

"We need to hurry up!" she said and Cap nodded.

"Everyone, the suits are on board. Those who are not already suited up, do it now. One intercom for each. Jean will lead the way, we'll discuss the attack on board. Get going," he ordered.

"If you need me, I'll try to stay connected to you," Charles told Jean and patted her shoulder before he left the hangar and watched them head off. "Just be careful…," he muttered.

* * *

"So what exactly happened?" Tony's voice could be heard through the speakers and, while he was observing the surroundings with Jarvis' help, waited for a reply. He listened to Jean's explanation and saw what must have happened in front of his inner eye. "Sentinel you say? Well then let's give Sinister some Sentinel," he said. "Jarvis? Activate Stark Sentinel 1 and send him back to base."

"_I assume you want the virus uploaded and ready, sir?"_

"You got it!" Tony replied. "They can expect one big surprise."

"Is that Sentinel even ready?" Cap asked through the mic.

"That Sentinel has a name, you hurt his feelings!"

Cap rolled his eyes. "Tony…"

"And to answer your question, yes, Stark 1 is very ready. So ready in fact that Sinister and Trask won't have any chance to react," Tony said self-assured still fling next to the jet.

"I hope you're right…" Cap sighed before he looked at Jean. "Tell us about the location."

Jean nodded and folded her hands in her lap. "It is actually Sinister's lab. We didn't know he was located there. The lab is underground and not heavily guarded, that is as long as the Sentinels aren't activated. We didn't see any Deathloks or Devils either, only MRDs," she told them. "We didn't have the time to go through all rooms. However, there is one heavy door that we wanted to look into. I picked up on a telepath behind it. There were also some telepathic traces in one of the labs but we were detected before we were able to check up upon it."

"What's the structure of the lab like?" Cap asked and listened to her explanation. He thought hard. Two teams or one team? Split up or stay together? His eyes fell on someone. "How would you proceed? Would you split the team up or stay together?"

Daken, who had been looking out of the window and had been watching Iron Man flying, looked up after there was no reply and noticed that Cap had been talking to him. He pointed at himself speechlessly.

"Yes, I was talking to you," Cap said and crossed his arms. "You were a great tactician before. I don't think that ability got lost."

The feral's eyes darted to and fro between all of them, unsure of what to say. "I don't know…"

"Oh come on, Junior. Use your brain!" Deadpool said. "Two teams or one? If it was up to me…"

"Thank God, it's not up to you…," Hawkeye muttered.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Daken?" Cap interrupted the quarrel and the feral looked back at him. "What would you do?" he asked once more and waited. He could tell that the man had begun to think.

"I'd make two teams and keep someone as backup. It's too risky to go as one team. If we get caught then there's no one to help us. Two teams with someone as backup assures that someone can go and get help," Daken replied after a moment and Cap nodded satisfied.

"My thought exactly that's why you will lead Team Bravo. I'll lead Alpha."

As Cap was about to continue Daken interrupted him. "Hold on, I don't know how to lead!"

"As your father would say: trust your instincts. You'll be fine. I trust you with this," Cap assured him and noticed the _are-you-mad-_look that Bucky was giving him. "Who wants to go with Daken?" he asked and except for Jean no one raised their hands at first.

"I'll go with the Snicktling!" Deadpool announced happily, much to Daken's dismay.

"We'll join his team too," Rictor spoke for Shatterstar and himself.

"Remy too," the Cajun said and Creed huffed.

"The kitty means he will gladly join his nephew too. Isn't that so, Vicky? For good old times' sake?" Deadpool patted the feral's shouler enthusiastically, ignoring the very low growl.

"All right. That means Tony, Clint and Bucky come with me. Billy and Teddy too," Cap decided and looked at the screen to his right. "We are almost there. Prepare yourselves!"

* * *

Noises and voices around him woke him slowly up and he instinctively reached out to his right, just to frown as he touched the sheets. Cracking one eye open, he found four pair of eyes staring at him.

"Why are you sleeping on the bed?"

"Where are mommy and daddy?"

"Are they still not back?"

"Where is aniki?"

Jean-Paul rubbed his eyes just to being attacked by a long and wet pink tongue next. "Arrête, Yuki," he cursed and pushed the wolf cub gently away. He looked behind him in confusion but found the side of the bed as empty as the side in front of him. "What the hell…?" he muttered and sat up, his eyes finally noticing the paper on the bedside table. He reached out, took it and read the few words that pretty much didn't tell him anything, except that something had come up and he had to leave. Awesome…

"Where's everyone?" Lily asked him and his eyes fell upon the children, six in total and he had obviously been chosen to babysit them. His day couldn't start any more perfect…

"On a mission or so, I don't know," Northstar muttered tiredly.

"See? Told you they went on a mission!" Jack huffed and crossed his arms.

"I said…I don't know," the man replied and got up, stretching before he stifled a yawn. "Did you already have breakfast?" he asked and hoped they had helped themselves.

"No, we want pancakes!" Rachel said.

"And chocolate milk!" Laura added.

"But no raisins!" the twins added at the same time and the speedster let out a heavy sigh before he pulled Kazuki and Jamie up.

"Well…then come on. Because I'm in need of a strong coffee…"

"Why? Did aniki keep you from sleeping?" Lily asked innocently and Northstar coughed.

"Very strong coffee….," he muttered and led the way to the kitchen. When he noticed Mac's grin, he wanted to wipe it out of his teammate's face. "Not a word!"

"Well… Babysitting?" Mac asked until he saw the wolves and the husky. "And dogsitting? All by yourself?"

"Ta yeule!" Northstar hissed before he began to make breakfast for the children and himself.

"It's ta gueule, mon ami!" Mac teased him and was rewarded with a death glare. "Ta gueule! Or la ferme!"

"Farme-la!"

"Nah, you got it wrong again. La ferme!" Mac said, clearly amused.

Jean-Paul sighed and turned to give him an annoyed look. "Va jouer dans le traffic, Mac!"

"Whatever you say, darling!" James chuckled and ignored the glare he was given. "Gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, haven't we? Where is your sweetheart?"

"Well if he was here, same goes for Logan and Jean, I wouldn't be stuck with 6 kids and 3 dogs, would I?" the speedster huffed and dug into his food.

"Someone is moody!" Jubilee sing-songed and stuck out her tongue at the speedster when his glare pointed into her direction. "Aw, come one. I'm sure someone makes it up to you later. Especially when you give him this cute pout of yours."

"I'm not pouting!" Jean-Paul snarled but Jubilee laughed.

"Uncle Hank, where are mommy and daddy?" Rachel asked and the furry mutant shrugged.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but I am as clueless as you."

Jack suddenly smirked at his sisters and younger brother. "When daddy's gone, it means you have to do as I say!"

"Why?" his twin sister asked confused.

"Because daddy said that the man always has to look out for the family and that if he is not at home, the oldest man takes his place until he is back!" her brother explained and frowned when the girls began to laugh. "This isn't funny! Daddy said so!" he sulked.

"Yes, and he said the _oldest_!" Laura replied.

"And this means that if daddy is not at home it's Aniki who has to watch over us!" Lily added and stuck out her tongue at her twin when this one glared at her.

"Nii-chan isn't here either, so _I_ am the oldest!" Jack defended himself.

Peter Parker, who had been watching the bickering in interest while his son was sitting on his lap, and was rather interested in splashing about in his father's food with his hands. "Who exactly is this Aniki and Nii-chan?" he asked and MJ sighed. "What?"

"Akihiro of course, dummy!" she told him as the twins went on.

"I was born first!" Lily argued and crossed her arms at the same time as her twin.

"But _you_ are not a boy! So I am the oldest man of the family!" Jack gave back.

"You are not a man, you are a baby!" Laura giggled and made her brother snarl.

"Daddy said so, so you have to listen to me!" Jack snapped at her as someone ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Hate to disappoint you, kid, but I am the oldest guy of the family even when your father's here, so you actually have to listen to me!"

"See? Uncle John is it and not you!" Lily laughed much to Jack's dismay.

"Sucks…"

"Ah, s-word!" John reprimanded Jack and sat down next to Narya and his daughter in order to have breakfast.

"Uncle John? Do you know where mommy and daddy are?" Rachel asked but the man shrugged, noticing that some people were missing.

"Did something come up?" he asked into the round but no one had a clue. "Weird…"

"The only thing I know is that I'm suddenly the babysitter of six kids and three dogs…," Northstar sulked and the fact that it was true didn't change his mood for the better. However, he wondered what had happened. In the end, it was no secret to him that most of their offense was gone…

In the meantime, Cap and the team had arrived on scene and had landed the jet, then hid it with stealth. He listened to Jean explaining where the entrance was and turned to the team. "Okay, we split here. Team alpha follows me, team beta Daken. Colossus and Nightcrawler will be our backup. Make sure that your intercoms are working properly and call for help when you need it. Don't try anything stupid!" he ordered and the team split up.

Daken watched team alpha disappearing and sighed. He had no clue what to do… He looked up as a hand touched his shoulder. Jean was giving him a reassuring smile even though he knew she was worried as hell. "Well… I guess we'll go too."

"No shit, Sherlock…," Creed grunted and exchanged a glare with his nephew but followed the group nonetheless. His senses were surveilling the surroundings as they entered the complex through a hidden entrance. The air was cool, his breath becoming visible the deeper they made it. He could hear soldiers patrolling the corridor to their far right, too far away to be any threat to them. It was weird though that there were no surveillance cameras or tight security at all. Either Sinister thought himself very safe, or they were going straight into a trap…

"_That's what I've been thinking too…,"_ he suddenly heard Jean in his head and started; a growl into her direction showing how displeased he was with the intrusion. He stopped as Daken suddenly raised his hand and gave them a sign to hide.

They pressed their bodies against the wall, hid in the shadows and watched how two MRD soldiers walked passed them. Daken sneaked towards the corner and peeked into the corridor. He had no clue what he was actually doing. Absolutely not. But he listened to his instincts as Cap had told him to do.

"_Do you copy?"_

His hand reached up to the intercom. "Yes…"

"_How's the situation?"_ Cap asked.

"Don't have one. Empty corridors, 2 MRDs so far, no sign of my father," he replied.

"_Roger that. We haven't found Logan yet either but Jarvis hacked into the central computer. Look at your pad, you should have the map of the building on it."_

Daken reached into his back pocket and indeed the pad now showed the structure of the building. Little red dots could be seen patrolling the corridors, indicating that they had been right: the building was not heavily guarded. "Got it."

"_Do you see this huge room on the far left? Ask Jean if this is the room where she picked up on that telepath."_

"Yes, that's the room," the redhead confirmed and concentrated once more on Logan's brain waves that she could usually pick up in easily. At the moment, however, she couldn't feel him at all…

"_We'll take care of that room. Over and out!"_

The faint _click_ indicated that Cap had disconnected. Once more checking that the corridor was clear, Daken gave a sign to move right and led the way.

"There's nothing to do…," Shatterstar sighed after they rounded another corner and this, too, was empty.

"I agree, pal! I thought there would be fights, and blood, and even more fights but no… Nothing! I even polished my swords, see?" Deadpool said and held up his katana. "Where's the fun in it, if there are no people to kill?"

"Shh!" Jean hissed and he quickly raised both hands, then elbowed Creed.

"Your sister-in-law can be quite bossy, you know that, Vicky?" he asked and was being glared at. "Thinking about it….it runs in the family… Thank God, Junior here is different." He pointed at Daken, who rewarded him with a warning glare. "Or was… He must have gotten this from his sweetheart. I heard he's quite bossy too. Perfect match, don't you think? In the end he's Canadian and princess here is half-Canadian, both are bossy and have this diva-attitude down pat. I swear they are a match made in heaven. Too bad though that junior lost his memory. I always loved watching them bicker like an old married couple. Then again I have never actually seen them bickering, have I? Speaking about marriage… When will it happen? You wanna marry your sweetheart right? And if it's just to piss daddy dearest off. Don't make me your best man though. I don't like wearing suits! If you decide to marry on a beach though I'm aaaaall in!"

"Would ya shut the fuck up now?" Creed snapped and his face was one angry mask.

"Man… Admit it… You wanted the Canadian all for yourself! I always knew you had a thing for Logan. All this 'don't touch my brother, or I'll kill you'-shit…" He ducked quickly as Creed's hand, claws extracted, aimed for his throat. "See? That's called unresolved sexual tension. I read about it, you know? That happens when you…"

"Stop it, both of you!" Daken and Jean intervened angrily and both men froze as they saw the violent red glow in the redhead's eyes.

"This is a serious mission, understood?" Phoenix snarled.

Shatterstar tapped Rictor's shoulder. "She can get very angry…," he said impressed and made his partner roll his eyes.

"No shit, Sherlock?" Rictor stepped forward. "I hate to be the party pooper but how about actually trying to find Logan?" he asked and looked at them with his arms crossed.

"That's what I've been saying the whole time through, but is anyone listening to me? No! I'm only the world's best mercenary!" Deadpool complained and pointed at the corner. "Let's go!" he walked two steps until he realized that no one was following him. "Oh, right…," he nodded and curtsied. "After you, princess!"

"I can't even tell you how much I hate you…," Daken growled and walked past him, stopping at the corner to check for soldiers, cameras or other threats. "Coast is clear. Let's go!"

* * *

"And you really have no idea where they are?" John asked while he was being seated next to Jean-Paul and both were watching over the children playing in the snow. He smirked as Jack squealed after being hit by two snowballs, the first thrown by Isa, the second by his twin sister. Sometimes he felt sorry for his nephew. Especially since the boy pretty much had no other boy his age. That was before they had rescued that boy, what was his name again, he wondered as he remembered that the boy was named Julian Keller and named himself Hellion. He was just about to wonder if the boys had even met already as a huge pile of snow miraculously flew through the air and was dropped right on top of the girls. Even Rachel wasn't fast enough to create a shield.

"No…," the speedster next to him grumbled and reached into his pocket as his phone beeped.

"Your significant other?" John teased him but the annoyed look he was receiving told him otherwise.

"No… The ex…"

"Oh…"

"He's still the manager of my brand and business…"

"I see." The feral watched the speedster typing in a reply, or better said: even his eyes couldn't follow Jean-Paul's hands. "Isn't that…complicated?"

"Hm… Not really, no," Jean-Paul replied and put the phone away again.

"Seriously?" John asked since he couldn't believe it. "Working with the ex and that doesn't cause trouble?"

The speedster shrugged, his face once more completely rigid and devoid of emotions as it often was. "It didn't work out. He's a human and couldn't deal with the whole mutant slash superhero business, so we decided it was best to break up. But he's doing a terrific job, so why fire him? I need someone to run the business now that my sister's gone."

"Well, if it works out…why not? Does he know?" John asked and Jean-Paul gave him a puzzled look before he figured out what the man meant.

"Oui, Kyle and Hiro met when I went to Canada. They don't like each other much though."

"Well who does Daken actually like…?" John muttered and received a glare. "Before he lost his memory I mean."

"He can't help it!" Northstar snapped and John raised his hands quickly. "Besides most of you didn't bother much to actually give him a chance!"

"It's not as if he was friendliness in person!" John returned the favor as the phone rang.

"Criss…," Jean-Paul cursed and took the phone again. "Quoi?" he asked and listened to the voice on the other end, his mood not lightening up at all. It was rather the opposite. "Maintenant?" He sighed. "Est-ce nécessaire, Kyle? Bien… Oui, je comprends fort bien,…à bientôt."

"Bad news?" John asked and sipped on the bottle of juice in his hand, surprised to feel a gust of wind before the speedster stood next to him all dressed up in his suit, and already closing the zipper of the jacket.

"Gotta head to Ontario. I should be back in a few minutes."

"Because…?" John asked, confused.

"Well, I have a business to run and obviously something came up that requires my attendance. So… à bientôt!" Jean-Paul waved, rose into the air and was gone.

"Sometimes I really think I'm still stuck at a funny farm…," the feral grumbled and shook his head, before he watched over the children again.

* * *

Cap caught his shield again, his blue eyes scanning the corridor for any more soldiers coming their way. Bucky had taken care of three more, whereas Hawkeye was securing the corridor behind them and was ready to shoot any time, Iron Man was busy hacking into the system and Hulkling and Wiccan were currently knocking around three MRDs. He had known it had looked way too easy. "Tony?"

"Just a minute…"

"Hurry up!"

"Patience is a virtue, didn't they tell you that in the 1930s?" Tony asked and waited for Jarvis to be done.

"_According to the map there's one person behind that door, sir."_

"Well one person is all we need," Tony replied and ducked when Hulkling threw a soldier against the wall close to his head. "Hey, watch where you're throwing these things!"

"Sorry!" the man breathed and punched the last soldier k.o.

"Okay, done," Tony announced and typed in the correct code into the panel to his right. "Open sesame…" He raised both arms in order to be prepared for an attack and was soon joined by Cap, Bucky and Hulking, whereas Wiccan and Hawkeye had their backs. "Then let's hope dear Logan is here…" However, what they found behind the door was something else entirely…

In the meantime, Daken's group had went further underground and were currently heading down a staircase that led them towards a corridor with several thick doors. "Guards…," the feral whispered but Jean waved off.

"He won't notice us, don't worry," the redhead said and both of them led the way.

"I smell him," Victor growled and Daken nodded the confirmation. "Plus a female in here 'n…" He broke off, sniffing.

"Lots of…," Daken began and his frown deepened as his nose confirmed once more that what he was picking up on was actually true. However, it couldn't be. He exchanged a brief look with Creed, whose grim look confirmed it.

"Lots of what?" Jean asked, anxious since she, too, was now picking up on Logan and what his current mental state was telling her made her want to just run to him immediately.

"Lots of girls? Boobs? Chicks?" Deadpool asked excitedly and received a knock on the head by Gambit's rod. "What? A guy can dream, right?"

"It's the same scent, all of them… They all smell like father…," Daken told Jean, whose eyes darkened.

She stepped closer to the door, touching it. "It must be where he creates the Devils… They are altered clones of Logan…"

"Then let's destroy 'em!" Creed snarled but she stopped him.

"Remy, you, Rictor and Shatterstar go over to that door," she pointed at one further down the hall, "and get that telepath. She appears to be drugged. Don't bother with the soldiers here. They won't be able to see you," she assured them and waited until both men were gone. "Victor, you and Wade will check out this room. Akihiro and I will go and get Logan."

"Ya think ya can carry him, frail?" Creed huffed, clearly displeased with being ordered around.

"I don't think I have to remind of my powers, do I?" Jean simply said, the threat evident in her voice. "Now go!" She turned and Daken followed her. Both quickly made their way to the door in front of which three soldiers were patrolling. A simple wave of her hand made them crash into the opposite wall, then slump unconsciously to the ground.

"I thought they won't be able to see us…?" Daken asked.

"I just felt like it," Jean replied, her voice grim and her power making quick work of the control panel next to the door. This one slid aside and allowed them to enter, but what they saw made both of the furious.

Logan was kept in a cage on his knees, heavy cuffs around his legs and wrists, the arms fixated on the back while a thick collar was kept around his neck, a pole attached to it so that, even if he tried, it would have been impossible for him to move.

"Father…," Daken gasped and went quickly over to said cage; a look enough to tell him that even if he tried, his claws wouldn't be able to cut through the steel.

"Bastards…," Phoenix hissed behind him and made quick work of the cage and the restrains, catching Logan's fall as this one dropped to the ground like a doll.

"He doesn't smell drugged," Daken said after touching his father's cheek.

"He wasn't… They did something to his mind," Jean replied and came closer, kneeling down next to Logan and touching him.

"I thought they can't break into our minds?"

"Only with the right attack…," she muttered and turned her head sharply as someone entered.

"We foun 'er," Remy said and nodded at the unconscious woman in his arms, whose black-purple her looked like a complete mess, and she like someone who hasn't eaten in weeks. "'n you obviously found da Wolverine…"

"More or less…," Rictor muttered, quickly raising both hands as Jean's eyes flashed like fire.

"Can you help him?" Daken asked since his father was still staring ahead and not reacting at all.

"Not here, no. His mind is too far gone," she replied and began to lift Logan with her powers, helping Daken to carry his father's dead weight. "We need to leave quickly… I don't have a good feeling of staying here any longer…"

"I didn't have a good feeling of coming here in the first place…," Rictor muttered while he took the whole room in. It looked like a lab right out of a Frankenstein movie, just minus the blood and body parts. It gave him the chills. As a hand took his, he turned and was glad that Shatterstar was trying to give him an encouraging smile. He followed the group back outside into the corridor. They had just stepped through the door as Daken reached up to touch his intercom. "Well, let's hope they are not sending an army down here…"

"I could use some action," Shatterstar replied.

"You…are not normal, Star!"

"Still you love me."

"Yeah, which means I'm not normal either….," Rictor sighed and didn't like the look on Daken's, as he dubbed it: too perfect face at all. "Let me guess…lots of MRDs and Sentinels?"

"No, that was Cap. He said they found a chamber which looked like a second Cerebro," he told the group and Jean's eyes darkened while they were heading towards the room in which Creed and Wade were. "A telepath was attached to it and they managed to free her. He wants to know if they should meet us here or head for the jet."

"Tell them to head for the jet. I have a feeling it's going to get ugly…," the redhead told him and stopped dead in her tracks as she stepped into the room fully. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was almost like a bad déj_à_-vu. The room was huge, white and looked endless due to the many tanks that had been set up. In most tanks that were filled with green liquid swam embryos of all stages, small bodies and a handful grown young adults. However, all of them had one thing in common: they were devoid of complete human features. They all looked like the Devils. "So he's still cloning him…," she gasped and reached out to touch the cool glass of one of the tanks. "But how? We destroyed his old lab when we rescued Jamie…"

"I guess by using this fella here. He doesn't look like the rest," she heard Wade saying and turned, just to feel how her heart stopped beating. Or did it begin to beat rapidly? She couldn't tell. But what she was seeing with her own eyes couldn't be real… "Hm…doesn't look like Junior either," Wade commented further while looking to and fro between Daken and the child in front of him. "Rather looks like the rugrat back home, don't you think?" He startled as the whole room suddenly began to shake and uttered a shocked "Woah" when he turned and realized that Jean was no more. Instead, a more than furious Dark Phoenix was standing amidst of them, body covered in flames and eyes darker than any night sky could ever be. "I think…this is not good. Or is it, Vicky? Mind if I hide behind you? That way she kills you first!" Wade said and did as he suggested.

"Jean?" Daken asked carefully and felt the hairs on his neck stand up as her furious gaze met his. "What is the matter?"

"You even dare to ask?" she hissed and was about to send a psychic wave into his direction as she sensed someone coming their way. "You!"

"Me?" Shatterstar asked and pointed at himself.

"Teleport them back to the jet now!" she ordered and pushed all of them into his direction. "NOW!"

"Did I already tell you that your sister-in-law is even crazier and scarier than you?" Wade asked Creed before he looked at Daken. "And you?" he added as Shatterstar crossed the swords that were attached to his arms in front of him.

"What the hell is going on?" Daken wondered aloud, the scent of that boy that had caused such a reaction confusing him even further. He smelled like Logan, but not completely. But he was kin. Definitely kin. But then again… He noticed how Shatterstar's swords began to glow right at the moment as MRDs appeared in the room and began shooting at the furious Phoenix. "NO!" he barked and was about to leap forward as Shatterstar had already initiated the jump and they were all suddenly on board of the jet.

"What happened?" Cap immediately asked and came closer, his eyes on the still form of Logan. "Where is Jean?"

"Still inside. She went nuts," Remy told him and put the unconscious woman next to the blonde that was already lying on one of the med-beds.

"Nuts? You mean she turned into Phoenix?" Cap asked and looked at Daken for confirmation, who nodded. "Because of Logan?"

"No, because of a room full of little Logan's. Oh, and that weird boy… He was creepy, very creepy! He was staring at you like that kid of The Omen. Have you seen that movie? It nearly made me shit my undies. That is…if I was wearing any," Wade replied and Rictor groaned aloud.

"Too much information!" the man cursed and went over to look out of the window. "What do we do now?"

"We need to get back in and help her!" Daken said and made Creed chuckle. What?"

"_Help_ her? Ya get close t'her 'n it's ya who needs help, fruitcake!"

"Well we won't leave her behind!" Daken snapped and frowned as the hatch suddenly closed and the jet began to rise into the air. "I said we…"

"I'm not doing anything!" Hawkeye snapped from the front and tried to get the jet to stop. "Someone's controlling it!"

"Jean…," Kurt muttered and Cap gave him a questioning look. "She can do tis. She did tis before. Maybe she's trying to get us into safety?"

"Could be…," Colossus said and pointed out of the window. "There is at least a handful Sentinels coming our way…"

"_Guys, I don't care what you do but get the hell out of there! It's the advanced armada. The jet can't deal with them!"_ Tony warned them via intercom and checked the many screens in front of his face. _"Stark Sentinel I still needs to upload 66% of the virus. We need to buy time. Fly ahead, I'll try to distract them!"_

"What about Jean?" Daken asked once more.

"He's right. We can't just leave!" Cap agreed but the jet was acting on its own. "Tony, can you stop the jet?"

"_Negative."_

"Damn it. We must be able to do something!"

"Trust me… Da belle petite doesn't need help. It's dem dat does!" Remy assured him casually and sat down on one of the many seats. "She could kill an army with one blow. Remy is not concerned at all."

"Good for you!" Bucky muttered and tried helping Hawkeye. "It's useless, Cap."

"You, teleport us back!" Daken demanded of Shatterstar, while he was still kneeling next to his father.

"I can't…"

"What do you mean you can't?"

"He needs to recharge. That will take a good while," Rictor explained.

"I can take us there!" Wiccan said and Cap nodded.

"Daken, Bucky, Hulkling, Wiccan and I will go back in! Stay put!" Cap joined the group around Daken, shield at the ready. "Let's go!"

Wiccan nodded and began to concentrate. "Take us to Jean," he repeated all over again and began to glow in a light-blue light. He felt like being drawn to his destination but was pushed back halfway. "What…?" he wondered as he realized that they were back at the jet.

"B?" Hulkling asked and put a hand to his shoulder.

"It's not working…."

"She's not letting you…," Kurt told them while he was sitting close to Logan. "She doesn't want us to interfere!"

"But we can't leave her behind!" Daken snapped and ignored the hurt look he was given. Then he was suddenly torn of his feet and hit the opposite wall hart. Dazed, he shook his head and realized that the attack hadn't only surprised him.

"The Sentinels are incoming. The jet's shield is down to 65%!" Bucky informed him.

"This is just great…," Cap sighed and got up to join him at the front. Through the windshield he could see how Tony was shooting everything he got at the Sentinels, which remained unimpressed. "Wiccan, aim your attacks on them!" he ordered and the man instantly began his work.

"_34% of the upload remaining!"_ Tony's voice said through the speaker. _"And damn, I just repainted this spot!"_

"Don't worry, dear, you'll be looking mighty fine as soon as we're back home," Hawkeye teased him.

"_Too late, I'm taken, honey! But I heard Wade is still free?"_

Deadpool pointed at himself. "Me? No. I have a girlfriend in every city!"

"That's hard to believe…," Rictor coughed.

"What? No one can be as pretty and sexy as me! You are just jealous!"

"He's pretty and sexy but not you, amigo!" Rictor nodded at Daken.

"Well, duh!" Wade made after taking a look at the feral, who was still trying to get his father out of his stupor. Another explosion caused the jet to shake violently. "Now that must be what a sardine feels like…" He grabbed the first thing for support, not caring that it was actually Creed's arms, as something hit the jet from the side.

"Tony?" Hawkeye asked immediately after Iron Man had been hit by a blast and the impact had caused him to crash into the jet.

"_I'm…fine…"_

"You don't sound fine!" Bucky said and pulled the screen up to check up on Tony's vitals. "Your suit is down to 28 percent!"

"_I said I'm fine!"_

"Come onboard, Tony!" Bucky demanded as said man crashed once more into the jet's side, causing the shield to give way. "Tony!"

"Kurt, get him!" Cap ordered as he saw how his friend was limply falling from the sky. It only took a blink of an eye and Nightcrawler reappeared.

"Damn those things…," Tony huffed inside off his damaged suit and threw the sizzling headpiece aside. He was breathing hard and had trouble sitting up.

"Your chest piece is damaged!" Cap noticed.

"Oh really? Those fucking bastards stole my tech!" Tony ranted and needed Colossus help in order to free himself from the suit. "Jarvis? How much longer?"

"_99%, sir. The virus will be fully uploaded in 10, 9, 8…"_

"Oh, fuck!" Bucky shouted as a huge Sentinel suddenly came out of nowhere, his glowing hand already directed at the jet.

"_7, 6,…"_

"If he shoots, we're going down. The shield was damaged by the impact!" Hawkeye said and tried once more to actually control the jet. "Controls are down too."

"Wiccan, try damage control!" Cap ordered. "Kurt, if we are going down, try to teleport as many of us out of here as you can! Hulkling, shapeshift and fly as many out as you can!"

"_5, 4, 3…"_

"He's gonna shoot!" Bucky shouted. "Hold on to something and prepare for impact!"

"_2, 1…"_

Everyone watched how the Sentinel's arm began to glow, the beam at the ready as the eyes suddenly started to flicker, then went out and the huge robot simply fell from the sky.

"_Virus completely uploaded to the Trask-Systems, sir. The virus is working and spreading!"_ Jarvis informed them and Tony ran both hands over his face, his heart still racing.

"_If you allow me to inform you, sir, that the arc reactor in your chest is…"_

"How many Sentinels affected up to now, Jarvis?" Tony cut him off.

"_Merely 5,95%, sir. With the rate it is spreading all Sentinels should be offline in less than 2 hours and 23 minutes."_

"So that probably gives us still a lot to do…," Tony sighed. "Is the jet still stuck on autopilot?"

"_Sir, I highly advise you to exchange the…"_

"Yes…," Hawkeye confirmed, once more cutting Jarvis off. "Anyone else wondering what she's doing?" he asked into the round as a loud explosion could be heard and a fireball so huge illuminated the dark sky that they had to shield their eyes. Blinking against it, Hawkeye dared to take a closer look, his eyes widening. "Guys… the whole lab was turned to ashes just now…"

"What?" Cap asked and joined him at the windshield. There, he had to realize that it wasn't a joke. The huge area underneath them, the very spot where the entrance to Sinister's lab had been and the whole complex underground were gone. What remained was a huge hole in the ground covered in flames and smoke. "Jean…," he gasped but couldn't see the woman anywhere.

* * *

After the group had teleported away, Dark Phoenix simply disposed of her attackers with a mere wave of her hand. She didn't care about their screams as their bodies were vaporized. Why should she? What they had done was unforgivable. "How much longer do you actually want to hide?" she snarled and finally, her real adversary came into view.

"I was wondering when you would show up here….," Sinister smirked. "I told them this base wasn't secure enough, but oh well… Mistakes happen, don't they?"

"How dare you?" she seethed and he crossed his arms behind his back.

"How dare I? Oh, no, how dare you?" he returned the question and confused her for a brief moment. "I didn't bury him alive, did I? That was all you!" He felt her powers tearing at his body and remained unimpressed. Changing the molecules of his body was what had kept him alive and young throughout the decades. "You can't kill me like you killed those mere mortals. I'm beyond this, Phoenix. I think it would even be easier for you to kill your beloved Wolverine."

Furious as she was, she stepped closer. "I will kill you!" she promised him. "You don't deserve anything else for what you have done!"

He snickered. "My, my… Once more the false accusations." He _tsktsktsk_ed as if she was a small, dumb child. "I already told you. It was you who buried him alive. I practically saved him!"

"You STOLE him from me!" Phoenix snapped angered and her body became completely engulfed in flames. "You stole him and used him for your sick experiments!"

"Sick experiments? I'd rather call them intelligent. You see…" Sinister began to walk over to the tanks. "Wolverine is a marvelous creature. We made him indestructible. He heals fast, he is lethal. He'd be the perfect assassin, if it wasn't for this damn humanity in him that simply cannot be killed," he told her and his pale hand touched one of his tanks. "That child of yours? Jamie? The perfect mixture of the two most deadliest and dangerous mutants on this planet. With the right altering he would make the perfect assassin, but alas… Your child is protected by the Phoenix force. I couldn't even draw his blood. That mongrel Daken on the other hand… Completely useless. Same goes for X23. No, I needed a perfect DNA example. Stealing your other son didn't bring me any further either. He doesn't have the right mix of DNA. Jamie might be the perfect mix of both of you, but he would have been fruitless in order to produce a clone of the Wolverine. So…, and don't mind my mocking tone, dear,…how else did you think was I able to produce clones of the Wolverine? You knew the sample we had of the Wolverine was damaged and couldn't be used. Are you really that dumb? Too dumb to realize that we took _him_?" He nodded over at the child in the cage. "You disappoint me, Jean! But then again…it was you who buried him alive…"

Breathing hard, Phoenix's face was covered in black tears. Her heart was thundering in her chest. The Jean in her screaming in agony while the evil part wanted to make this man suffer agony that no living being had ever experienced. "You…"

"Yes, dear? Another death-threat?" Sinister asked. "You can't kill me. No one can. I'm immortal!" he told her once more but surprise became evident as his body suddenly felt different than before. When he looked up he stared right into her demonic, smiling face.

* * *

Kyle was watching Northstar signing papers in speed of light, the only sounds he could hear the whooshing sound of air and the pen scribbling on paper. His eyes were too slow to actually follow the process, if it wasn't for the pile to Northstar's left becoming bigger and bigger.

"Anything else?" the speedster asked after he was done and got up as he received a "No". "Bien. Au revoir!"

"Are you still with him?" Kyle asked him as Northstar was already on his way to the balcony.

"Oui…"

Kyle sighed. "That guy is not good for you!"

"And you know that because…?" the speedster asked sourly and crossed his arms, his blue eyes watching how Kyle came closer. The man hesitated before he dared to reach out and touched Northstar's arm, a gesture that usually gave him goose bumps. At least it had once…

"It's just my feelings telling me that the guy is bad news. Sure, he's more than just good-looking, but seriously, Jean-Paul…," Kyle said and looked up after he had kept his eyes on his hand that was still attached to his oppsoite's arm. "You could have a guy on each finger. You can do better than him!"

"And I'm asking again… You know that because…?" Northstar said in a snappish way. "You don't know him. You never talked to him or spent enough time with him to actually being able to judge him!"

"But I have an eye for people and up to now I have never been wrong!" Kyle insisted. "That eyes of his? Total psycho!"

"Au revoir, Kyle!" Jean-Paul turned and opened the door to the balcony. The sky already beginning to darken again. Had he been gone longer than he had thought?

"Are you ever wondering about it?"

He froze and turned to give the man behind him a look. "About what?"

"If it might have worked out in the end? If we hadn't called off the wedding?" Kyle asked and kept on staring at his foot that was nervously and absently occupied with the carpet underneath.

Northstar stared at him for a while, thinking about what to say. He wondered where this was suddenly coming from. In the end, they had called off the wedding in 2012 and that was what? 7 years ago? Sure they had been happy and back then he had been sure that Kyle was the said _one_ that everyone was constantly talking about. However, their relationship had been far from being easy and perfect. Kyle was a human and often enough they had been fighting about the whole superhero thing. Moving to New York had also been fruitless and in the end, it had been the death blow for their relationship. Of course, the final realization had come on the day of the rigorously planned wedding… "Non, it wouldn't have," he therefore said honestly and

Kyle looked up, eyes wide for a moment. "Maybe it would have worked out another year, maybe two… The result would have been the same."

"Sounds harsh…"

"The truth always does, Kyle."

The other man sighed and crossed his arms. "Is he treating you well?"

"Would I ever stay with someone that treats me like an ass?" Jean-Paul asked and Kyle shook his head. "See?"

They looked at each other for a long while before Kyle finally asked what he had wanted to ask all the time. "Care for a drink? We haven't seen each other in a while…"

Northstar looked at the much darker sky. He should already be back… Well, he couldn't call it _home_, could he? "Fine, but just one…," he gave in in the end and closed the balcony door again.

* * *

The jet landed automatically in the hangar, the hatch opening slowly for the group to step out of it. While Colossus was carrying the still unresponsive Logan towards the ICU where Charles and Hank where already waiting, Daken and Hawkeye remained at the computer that was showing the surroundings of Genosha and waited for any sign of Jean. Cap on the other hand followed Tony and Bucky out of the jet, his eyes on the mission log as a loud _thud_ tore him out of his thoughts. Looking back, he realized that the sound hadn't come from the jet. Frowning, he turned his head back to the front just to widen his eyes in shock. "Tony!" he called out, dropped the folder carelessly to the ground and was at his friend's side in the next moment. His arms reached out to support the Avenger that was trying to gulp air faster than he had thought was possible. His eyes made a quick check up, looked for any injuries that he hadn't noticed before but there were none. However, the fact that Tony was breathing hard and sweating a lot didn't calm him down at all. It was rather the opposite. "What's wrong?" he asked and helped his friend to turn on his back when he noticed the obvious source of the problem. "The arc reactor's broken."

"Yeah… They must have figured…this was the weak point…of the suit," Tony breathed hard and tried to get back up but his body failed him miserably. The pain in his chest was unbearable.

"Jarvis tried to warn you…," Bucky said and exchanged a look with Cap.

"Where's the replacement?" Cap asked and got out of his jacket to put in under Tony's head for support. "In the jet? In the lab? Your room?"

Tony tried to concentrate and simply nodded. "Somewhere… Yeah…"

"You idiot!" Cap cursed and ran off in order to find a new arc reactor.

Bucky stayed with his teammate and gave him a look over. "You look like shit…," he noticed since Tony's skin was not only sweaty but suddenly also pale as hell, almost greyish. "So what happens without the arc reactor actually?" he asked, realizing that he had no idea and had never bothered to asked why Tony was constantly wearing the glowing thing.

"Cardiac…arrest…," the man on the ground breathed and rolled onto his side, curling up as the pain became unbearable.

"Oh…"

"What happened?" Daken asked as he and Hawkeye came to a halt next to the two men. They had barely knelt down as Cap returned, a hysterical Pepper in tow and also Rhodey was accompanying them. "There's no other arc reactor, Tony!" the blond told the man and was at his friend's side again. "Where else might you have put a replacement?"

"Knowing that idiot he probably forgot to bring any!" Rhodey cursed and put a hand to Pepper's shoulder.

"There must be a replacement somewhere!" Pepper said while her hands were holding on to Tony's. "He's going to die without it…"

"I asked Reed, he couldn't find any in the lab either," Cap cursed and thought hard, his hand reaching out to check up on the pulse. "We're running out of time. Think! Where else might we find one or what else can we do in order to buy time?" He raised his head as the roof suddenly began to glow firey, a screeching firebird announcing the arrival of Dark Phoenix, who was still looking as furious as she had been before. He frowned at the dark haired child that she was carrying safely in her arms. She looked like a complete mass, like craziness personified. "Are you alright?" he asked and she simply nodded. "We need your help. His arc reactor was damaged and we can't find a replacement. He's going to die if we…"

"Why would I help him?" Dark Phoenix asked coldly and stepped closer.

"Because he's your friend!"

"No… He is _her_ friend!" she snapped and was about to walked past him as something made her stop. Her eyes fell on Pepper, who tried hard not to cry but was failing miserably. She recognized the feelings that woman was oozing, the fear she was radiating… She recognized the tiny heartbeat inside of her that was still too small for the woman to notice. Slowly, she walked back over to them and knelt down, the fear of her the group was radiating not touching her the slightest. "The shrapnel is destroying his heart…," she said void of any emotions and touched Tony's chest, the other arm never letting go of the child that was blankly staring ahead. "He'll be dead in a few minutes…"

"Then do something, please!" Pepper sobbed and bit her lip while she was cradling Tony's head in her lap and was no stroking his cheek. "You promised to be careful! You promised to stay out of trouble. Damn you, Tony!" she sniffed and met his heavy lidded eyes, while his heavy breathing had changed to way too fast and flat huffs.

"Malibu. I'm sure he has a stock of arc reactors there!" Rhodey suddenly said and jumped up to get into his Warmachine suit.

"You'll take too long!" Cap stopped him. "What about a speedster? They could make it within seconds or minutes!"

"Pietro's way too slow," Hawkeye shook his head.

"But Jean-Paul isn't!" Daken said and got up to get the man.

"He's not here. He's in Ontario," Dark Phoenix told him in her monotone voice while she was concentrating on the shrapnel and heart.

"What's he doing in Ontario?" the feral asked aloud but was already reaching for his phone.

"Maybe you should ask his ex…"

His eyes darkened as she said it and, after the call went through, his voice was not so friendly. "It's me. Come back her _now_!" he demanded and didn't bother to wait for a reply before he hung up. It took less than a few seconds for Northstar to appear next to him, confused about the aggressive tone in his partner's voice and even more puzzle about the group.

"What's going on?"

"How fast can you make it to Malibu?" Cap immediately asked, confusing the speedster even further, who had been distracted by trying to read in Daken's eyes.

"Eh…blink of an eye." He shrugged. "Speed of light, remember?"

"Good. Get here," Cap handed him a GPS with the coordinates. "Tony's lab is in the basement. I don't care how you do it but we need an arc reactor quickly or he's dead soon!"

"In case the door is secured try this number," Rhodey handed him a piece of paper. "If it doesn't work just break in! The arc reactor should be in a box."

"O…kay…" Still completely confused Northstar aimed for the opening in the roof and was gone.

"He won't make it in time…," Dark Phoenix said matter-of-factly. "He's too weak already."

"Then, please, help him!" Pepper begged and shuddered as the black eyes were on her all of a sudden.

"Why would I do that? This man holds no meaning to me," she replied and cocked her head. "Why would I do it for you or your child?"

Pepper gave her a confused look. "I have no business with that child in your arms…"

"Who is talking about _that_ child, moron?" the fiery redhead asked, ignoring Pepper's confuse look, and looked down on Tony, who was already delusional and fought hard to keep his eyes open. "He's doomed. Even if you attach a new arc reactor the shrapnel is already located in his heart and cutting through it. He'll die anyway…" She was about to get up as her head jerked aside, her mind picking up on something that made Phoenix disappear as fast as she had taken over. Confused, Jean blinked and shook her head. Her eyes falling on Tony. "Oh God…"

"Jean?" Daken asked and she looked at him. "Are you alright?"

"Did I do this?"

"No, Tony was hit during an attack. The arc reactor's broken and his heart is failing," Cap told her quickly and watched how she handed the boy she was caring over to Daken before she put one had to Tony's head and the other on his chest, her eyes glowing.

"Stay with us, Tony. Concentrate on my voice in your mind," she said softly and, while trying to bind his consciousness to hers, the other part of her brain focusing on the shrapnel. "There's lots of it…," she noticed and began to wonder how his heart had even been able to withstand that much damage for all these years. When she looked up Jean look directly into Pepper's scared and desperate eyes. Before she could say anything a hand appeared next to her.

"Here!" Northstar breathed and looked like someone that had been in a fight. "You could have told me that S.H.I.E.L.D. was all over the place!" he said rather sourly and sat down to catch his breath, while Rhodey quickly took an arc reactor out of the box and exchanged the damaged for the new one.

"What's S.H.I.E.L.D. doing there?" Hawkeye wondered but was hushed by Cap, who had his eyes on Tony, who was still pale as a ghost and barely conscious. "Can you do anything?" he asked Jean, who sighed.

"I could… But it's dangerous. He's too weak…"

"Try it, please…," Pepper begged her and was still cradling Tony's head in her lap, her fingers stroking his cheek.

Jean contemplated what to do but figured that she couldn't cause more damage than had already been done. She could try and vaporize the remaining shrapnel and then try to… "I need to borrow your powers for a moment," she told Daken, who didn't know what to think about it, but allowed her to take his hand.

The back of his head began to tickle first, then warmth spread in his mind, gave him a feeling of threat and safety at the same time. Her voice soothed him and he allowed her to probe further until his mind turned blank and was gone. When he came by again he noticed that he was leaning against Northstar's chest, Jean and the boy were gone, called over to the ICU by the Professor as the speedster told him before Daken tore free of the light grip and gave the man an angry look.

"What's the matter?" Jean-Paul asked confused and watched how Daken asked how Tony was.

"Still unresponsive. We're waiting for Moira and a sickbed. Jean said not to move him until then," Cap told him and reached out to put an arm around the devastated Pepper. "He'll be fine. He's got a new arc reactor and…"

"His heart stopped beating!" Rhodey suddenly said and Cap met his eyes…

**Yes, cliffie-time. I know you hate them. LOL**

**Before questions are asked: yes, you know the child that Jean found at Sinister's lab, and yes, there will be lot's of Logan and Jean in the next chapter.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! I'll try to update soon this time! See ya!**


	19. Chapter 17

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**About Descena's and my fanfic "About Vows and Men": I've created a new account and re-uploaded every chapter since refused to transfer the old account to the new account.**

Thanks to someone asking on Formspring I noticed that I totally forgot to include the link. Sorry!

The site won't allow linking to the story here, so I included the link in **my profile**!

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**For one part you might want to read Jean's dream in Changes 2 Chapter 60 again.**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 17**

Charles didn't know what else he could do anymore.

His eyes looked at the man in front of him who seemed to be so far gone and in his own world that even he, the world's most powerful telepath – next to Jean Grey, mind you – was at his wit's end. He had tried the hard way, he had tried the soft route, but Logan's mind didn't react at all. Whatever he had experienced or whatever had been done to him, had left him in a state of deep shock. He sighed and looked through the huge wall of glass that separated the room in which he currently was from the adjoining room in which Jean was still examining the boy she had found in Sinister's lab. Charles wasn't surprised that the woman had wracked havoc on the lab and every single person in it. Not that he was okay with it. But what Sinister had done…

The door behind him opened and Moira entered followed by Hank, both giving Logan a worried look before they, too, watched Jean for a moment. "So it's true?" the furry mutant asked and wasn't sure he actually dared to step closer to the glass wall. His blue eyes looked at the boy who sat absolutely still and emotionless on the examination table and didn't react to anything the redhead was doing. How could he have made such a mistake? It was beyond him. "My God…"

"Hank, we couldn't have known!" Charles immediately said and put a hand to his friend's arm.

"We buried that child alive, Charles! That is unforgivable!"

"You checked up on his vitals how often? For how many hours?" Charles asked but still, Hank shook his head and ran both hands over his face.

"If you call it a mistake, then I'm as much to blame as you," Moira tried to soothe her husband. "But Hank, he was dead. There's no mistake in it!"

"Then how do you explain this?" he asked and pointed at the boy.

"Maybe it is a trick and that child is a clone?" She shrugged. "He was dead. He was born premature and was too weak and too small. There's no way this boy over there is him, Hank. No way!"

Charles heaved a deep breath and leant back against the table behind him, his eyes on Jean who was now simply staring at the child in front of her. "Akihiro, you can come in," he suddenly said and the door behind him was slowly opened. "It's your family in the end. You can come in any time," he assured him with a smile. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course," the feral shrugged and closed the door behind him, his eyes checking up on his father.

Charles nodded at the child in the other room. "I know that your father can scent people and categorizes them by it. He would recognize his children everywhere. If I'm not mistaken he passed this ability down to you…"

"You want to know if that boy smells like a brother or clone…or something else entirely," Daken predicted and looked up briefly.

"Yes…" Charles watched how the feral came back over to them, the walk so light and proud that he could have been a model.

"He's kin. Unmistakably…," Daken confirmed and nodded at Jean when she turned her head into his direction. He heard her telling the boy that they were done and that she would help him off the table now. It didn't take long and she had joined them, her eyes avoiding Hank and Moira completely. "And?"

"He seems to be physically fine. He's too small for his age though and malnourished," she told him matter-of-factly before she walked past them and tended to Logan again. "Could you take care of him?"

"Sure," Daken nodded and pulled the child up into his arms, his dark brown eyes eyeing the boy curiously. "What's his name by the way?"

"Jake…," the redhead muttered without taking her eyes off Logan.

"Jean…," Hank began but she shook her head. "I know it's inexcusable…"

"Leave please! All of you," Jean demanded and waited for the door to be closed before she locked it with her thoughts and knelt down next to Logan. She gave him once more a complete look-over, tried to get through to him by using their link, touched him, talked to him…, but she either hit a wall in his mind or he remained unresponsive to voice or touch. She sighed and contemplated what else she could do. Breaking into his mind was something she didn't want to do, but by now she didn't know what else she could actually try. Besides she was desperate to talk to him. "Logan…," Jean breathed and knelt down between his legs, her hands reaching out to cup his face lovingly. "Please, answer me! I need you here right now." As the whole realization hit her once more she couldn't hold back her tears anymore. What she had done, what Phoenix had done in her unstoppable wrath, what they had done to them, to her child… Her child… How could she? How could she have not noticed? In the end, they had visited the grave so often. Desperate, she raised her head and looked at Logan through a veil of tears. She needed him. Phoenix was fighting so much for control right now that she was afraid she would lose it and cause havoc. But how was she supposed to reach through to him? In the end, she didn't even now, yet, what they had done to him. However, she knew that whatever it was it must have been something so shocking that his mind had closed itself off from everything. There was no other explanation for his strong state of shock. Reaching up, she wiped her tears away, not caring that new ones immediately followed up. She hated what she was about to do but right now she didn't see any other chance. "I'm sorry…," Jean muttered before she broke into his mind and past his natural and artificial walls. The shock that run through his body nearly made her topple over. She went past pictures and memories until she found what she was looking for, the shock washing over her like a wave.

She saw through his eyes as he seemed to walk through the corridors of Genosha, how he attacked their friends, cut through them like paper, how blood poured out of their bodies like fountains and painted the walls, ceiling and ground scarlet red. But why would he do it? She couldn't feel any trace of the Wolverine inside of his head at that particular moment. Confused, Jean stepped out of his mind, an astral form now looking past the illusion until she found the enemy she was looking for. Mysterio hid himself behind an invisible wall and cast the illusion right into Logan's mind. In fact, the feral was standing in a corridor at Sinister's lab, Romulus looking on from next to Mysterio and smiling in satisfaction. She watched how Logan slashed through invisible foes, his eyes constantly looking for something that wasn't there. She took a peek into his mind again, saw that he believed he was standing in the hangar, watched how he killed MRD soldiers that weren't there, saw that Mysterio made Logan believe that he had in fact murdered his team and friends. But as she watched how he ripped right through her, the agony that it caused, the shock that he suffered from it… She had her answer why he was in such a deep state of shock. He believed he had killed all of them. That what he feared most had happened, and his feral side had murdered the only things that he cherished and needed the most.

She froze the illusion, stepped right in front of him in her astral form and knelt down next to him; her eyes only briefly looking at her still and horribly butchered form in his arms. "Logan?" she asked and forced him to look at her. "It's not real! They are manipulating your mind!"

"J…ean?" he asked, his eyes still wide in shock, the tears still falling as he looked at her and then at the woman in his arms in shock.

"This is not me. You neither killed me nor anyone else. Romulus used a mutant to manipulate you. It's an illusion that never happened!" Jean said and he shook his head, his eyes looking around, seeing all the dead bodies, all the blood.

"No…"

"Honey, it never happened! I need you to look at me!" she demanded more forcefully and cupped his cheek. "You need to wake up! Something happened, something horrible and I need you!" she begged and fought against her tears once more as she thought about that boy. "Please, you need to wake up!" She touched his mind once more after he had nodded, still as much confused and lost as before. "Follow our link. It will lead you to me!" she promised and stepped out of his mind. Still kneeling in front of him, she waited for him to find his way out. It took a few more minutes and Logan started to blink, a frown becoming evident on his face before he dared to turn his head and his eyes took her in.

"Jean…," he said, his voice hoarse and he scooped her into his arms, held her tight that it almost hurt, his face buried in the crook of her neck. "Oh God…"

"It wasn't real…," she assured him once more and hugged him back, her legs now straddling his hip as she held him as close as she could. "It's okay…"

He had his eyes closed as he held her frame pressed against his body. His heart was still racing horribly. He could still see and smell the blood, felt how his claws had ripped through her body, saw her green eyes losing all live… A shudder ran through his body and Jean automatically pulled him closer, her hand stroking through his hair. He had done, illusion or not, what he secretly feared the most. He had lost it, had butchered his friends and people he loved the most… How could he have forgotten what he really was? He was no man…

"Stop thinking this!" Jean scolded him and forced him to look at her. "You are not an animal, Logan! It was an illusion!"

But he shook his head. "It can happen any time…"

"That's not true…"

"I _killed_ ya, Jean. I killed all of'em!" he insisted and gave her a hard look. "So ignorin' the fact that one well timed attack is enough for me t'lose it, is foolish!"

Jean sighed. "Foolish or not, Logan, it wasn't real and I know that you are not capable of hurting your friends or family. Besides…we've got a whole bigger problem than this."

"What do ya mean?" he asked and cocked an eyebrow at her, still holding her close as he got up and dropping her gently to her feet.

Jean held his gaze and was at a loss of words. How was she supposed to tell him?

"Jeannie?" Logan whispered and reached out to cup her cheek. His heart began to race once more as he watched her biting her lip while tears began to pool in her eyes. "Darlin'…?" he asked once more, now fear evident in his voice as his gut feeling was telling him that something terrible must have happened. "Did somethin' happen t'the kids?"

"No…"

"But?"

"Not really…," she said at second thought.

"What? Don't tell me somethin' happened t'the kids!" Logan stared at her wide eyed and tried to read anything in her face, but her tears and the emotions she were radiating had him on edge. "Jean!"

"I don't know how to tell you!" she cried and stepped forward in order to sob into his chest, a gesture that made him feel even worse than he already did.

"Please tell me the kids didn't get hurt…," he said in barely more than a whisper as he held her close and waited for her to calm down enough for her to be able to speak. His mind was racing with the most horrid things that had happened to his children, pictures of blood, deep gashes, cut off limbs, broken bodies, dead eyes… He had to shake his head at this and a shudder ran through his body. He would rather have someone kill him in the most brutal and agonizing way than seeing his babies getting hut. "Tell me, please…," he begged her and Jean looked up to meet his eyes, her green orbs watery and red.

Wordlessly, she took his hand, unlocked the door with her mind and followed the link to Daken's mind. She led Logan past his surprised friends that had expected him to be still caught in the same state of shock that they had seen him brought in before.

"Logan?" Cap asked but the feral waved off.

"Not now."

"All right," Steven accepted and leant back against the wall, his arms crossed, and watched them heading further down the corridor. He could only guess where Jean was taking Logan.

The redhead came to a halt in front of the door to Daken's and Jean-Paul's room, picked up on the feral only and heaved a deep breath before she dared to knock. It didn't take long and the door was opened.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Akihiro said and stepped aside to let them in. He met his father's gaze and tried to keep his face as neutral as possible.

Logan frowned at his eldest and nearly bumped into Jean as she came suddenly to a halt. He turned his head into her direction and looked at her, then followed her gaze towards the bed where a dark haired boy, maybe 5 years old, was sitting and staring blankly ahead. Her emotions were running wild again, her heart beating so fast that he feared she would collapse any moment and his own mind felt like a tidal wave as he tried to solve the puzzle. Who was that boy and why were they making such a fuss about… The realization hit him like Thor's hammer once had. His eyes widened and he let go of Jean's hand as the boy's scent gave the identity away. But it couldn't be… "No…"

"It's him, Logan…," Jean whispered, her eyes still on the boy too. "He's not a clone. It's him. Sinister stole him in order to be able to clone you and to create those Devils. His laboratory was full of new clones… Sinister told me that he used him for this purpose," she said in a monotone voice. Shaking her head, she leant back against the wall and hid her face in her hands. Her mind was a mess. She needed to get her emotions under control or else _she _would break free again. After what appeared to have been minutes of utter silence, a hand touched her arm and she was about to reach out and take it as she realized that it was Daken's.

"He left," he told her.

"This is a mess…" Jean sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Are you all right?" he asked and she nodded. "You sure?"

"No…," she breathed. "I need to find your father before he does something stupid. Could you…?"

He waved off. "You don't need to ask. Besides…" Daken nodded at the boy. "He doesn't do anything besides sitting and staring anyway…"  
"Thank you." Jean walked over to the door and opened it. "You've been of great help in the past days." After he had nodded a thank you, she left and used the psychic link in order to find her husband.

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His eyes felt as heavy as they usually did after three days of partying straight. Partying and drinking a lot. Oh, and not to forget about lots of women whose names he was always unable to remember on the next morning. But then again…it had been years since he had last partied that long, so no surprise there. He heaved a deep breath and it was only then that he realized that he was lying in a sick bed, an oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose and the constant beeping of machines penetrating his ears. What had happened was beyond him for now, but he remembered very well that the last thing he had seen was her face. Just as he had always hoped… Still dazed, Tony let his head roll to the left and there she was, huddled together in a chair, a blanket draped around her and looking as beautiful as ever. He wondered how long he had been gone.

"You scared the hell out of her…," a deep voice told him and Rhodey came into view as he looked to his right.

"Only her?" Tony muttered and pulled the oxygen mask off.

"Of course. Do you think anyone of us likes you?"

Tony gave Rhodey a look but the faint smirk on the man's lips told him that it was a joke. "Yeah, I love you too. What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Rhodey asked and remained leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "Well… Sentinels attacked the jet, threw you around like a football, arc reactor got damaged, you collapsed, heart stopped beating, Pepper got so hysterical that they actually gave her sedatives…"

"What?" Tony asked and his best friend pushed him back down into the covers.

"Easy!" he warned him. "What do you expect? You were dead for a couple of minutes, Tony. We thought you were gone for good."

Tony's eyes darted towards his exposed chest and he lifted the covers a bit. It was a brand new arc reactor. But how did it get there?

"You can thank that speedster on Logan's team. He got it from your house in Malibu. You idiot forgot to pack replacements!" Rhodey told him and was back to leaning against the wall. "Pepper really needs you to remind you of everything, huh?"

Tony's eyes were back on her and he mentally cringed at the way her neck was positioned. "Could you put her over here?" he asked and moved further to the right so that there was enough space for her in the bed.

"You think that's a good idea?" Rhodey shrugged after receiving a look and went over to carefully lift Pepper out of the chair and onto the bed. He watched how Tony tucked her in before he placed a kiss to Pepper's forehead, a gesture that made her sigh in her sleep and cuddle up to him. "I gotta go. Don't get dirty in here!"

"Jealous prick!" Tony called after him but Rhodey only gave a wave before he closed the door behind him. Settling back into the covers, Tony's hand drew lazy circles on Pepper's back while his eyes remained on her face. He felt bad. Utterly bad for causing her such fear and agony. He couldn't even remember being dead… Snuggling up to her, he closed his eyes again and let sleep overwhelm him once more.

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Jean finally found Logan on the outside and staring at the dark ocean ahead of him. She had to use a telekinetic cocoon in order not to freeze to death within minutes, whereas he simply stood there in a wife beater and shirt only, obviously not the slightest bothered by the cold. "Logan?" she carefully asked and contemplated reaching out but he kept on staring ahead, arms folded in front of his chest.

"Did ya kill him?" he growled, his eyes glaring at the darkness in front of him and picturing the most brutal ways in order to kill Sinister and everyone else that was responsible.

"She did, yes…," Jean breathed and moved so that she was standing next to him. "She didn't just kill him, Logan…" She closed her eyes as the memories washed over her. "She butchered him…"

"He still got off easy. 'n he deserved it!" he grunted and clenched his fists unconsciously.

"She destroyed the whole lab and every single person and clone in it… It was worse than Alcatraz…," she told him and heaved a deep breath, her voice shaking. "I'm scared that I'll lose it again. She's so furious and strong…"

"Yer stronger than her," he shook his head and pulled her close with one arm, letting her lean into him. "'n I'll protect ya."

She soaked up the strength and reassurance he was giving her for the moment and closed her eyes briefly, enjoying how he stroked over her back and neck. They remained like this for a good while, both not saying a word or communicating telepathically with each other and looked at the ocean in front of them.

"Yer in for a beer? Coz I need one…," Logan grunted after a while and linked his hand with hers. In the kitchen, he opened the fridge and pulled two bottles of beer out of it. After he had handed Jean one he sat down on one of the stools and pulled her back on his lap, so that she was straddling his and facing him. He sipped on the bottle and let out a sigh, his eyes meeting hers. "We'll manage…"

"How?" Jean asked while holding the bottle with both hands, his right hand on her lower back holding her steady.

"Dunno… Somehow…" He emptied the beer and but the empty bottle behind him. Leaning in, he kissed her. "This is just crazy…"

"No shit, Sherlock…" Jean sighed and looked at the bottle. Her mind sent it towards the table whereas she ran both hand over her face. "How, Logan?" she asked but he shrugged.

"As I said… We'll manage somehow…"

"No, I meant how could we have not noticed? How could _I_ have not noticed?"

"Jean, ya were a mess back then!" he replied and shook his head. "Hank told me back then that they had checked over 'n over again. Maybe his healin' factor kicked in much later. Sinister probably stole him right afterwards…"

"Or maybe he replaced him…," she suddenly thought out loud and looked up. "What if he replaced him with a dead clone?"

"How?" Logan sighed since the idea alone sounded ridiculous to him.

"Think about it! Your son placed whatever they used into the drink that I drank. What if I was the target the whole time through?"

Logan cocked an eyebrow. "So what? Ya think Akihiro sat in the dark 'n waited for ya t'go into labor, just t'replace our baby with a dead clone? Jean, sorry, but yer bein' ridiculous!"

She hopped off his lap. "I didn't say it was your son, Logan! Maybe Charles was their target. But maybe they took their chance when it happened?" Jean kind of snapped. "Sorry…," she immediately apologized but he waved off. "It's just too much…" She turned around and supported herself on the countertop behind her. "It was so hard getting over it for both of us and now…," she sniffed and immediately felt how his arms were wrapped around her waist and he leant against her from behind. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the warmth and was grateful that he was here right now. "What if he's going to stay this way? Who knows what they did to him at that place…"

"We'll wait, see 'n manage, darlin', alright?" he grunted into her ear and pressed a kiss to her temple. A look at the clock told him that the others would get up soon. "The kids will be up soon… What t'tell 'em?"

She sighed and turned around in his embrace, her hands reaching up to hug his neck. "That a mission came up and took longer than expected. That's not even a lie…" Jean looked aside as someone entered and was somehow relieved that it was only Storm.

"How are you feeling, Logan?" she asked her friend, who waved off. She gave him a skeptical look. "You didn't look fine when they brought you here."

"I'm fine…," he grunted and held Jean against his chest.

"Hm…" Still skeptical, she began to make coffee. Her eyes, however, kept on switching to the couple. Their body language spoke volumes. "Okay, seriously… What's going on?"

Jean looked at her and nodded at the coffee machine. "You'll need a strong coffee for this…"

After she had updated Ororo on everything, she waited for a reaction from the woman, who was currently busy staring at Jean, who sat on Logan's lap again, and the feral.

"Okay…. What?" the weather goddess asked and didn't even startle as Kurt bamfed into the kitchen.

"Oh, hello!" he smiled embarrassed before he kissed his wife on the cheek. Her look alarmed him though. "Did something happen?"

"I don't believe this…," Storm said and shook her head, her coffee forgotten. "How can he be alive?"

"Hell if I know…," Logan grunted and wrapped his other arm around Jean's waist too, hugging her close to his body. "Point is Sinister is dead 'n he can be lucky that I didn't get my hands on him." He felt how Jean tensed at the mentioning of the name and kissed her neck. "'s alright."

"So what now? How is Jake?" Ororo asked, finally sipping on her coffee.

"We don't know. He seems to be oblivious to everything around him. Charles wanted to examine him later," the redhead told her and leant back against Logan, suddenly feeling the strain from the night before.

"Why don't ya go 'n lie down?" Logan asked and nuzzled her neck, not caring that the room slowly began to fill.

"Hmm, no…" She shook her head and leant further back against him. "The children are going to wake up soon, Hank and Moira might need help on the ICU, Charles…"

"Darlin'? Bed, now!" Logan interrupted her and got off his stool to give her a kiss and gentle push towards the door. "I'll take care of the kids, ya go 'n sleep."

Jean sighed and ran a hand over her face first, then through her hair. "Logan, I'm fine, really." When he cocked an eyebrow at her she surrendered. "Fine. But only for two hours and you're going to wake me up then!" she demanded, upon which he only hummed and kissed her again.

Ororo waited for Jean to be gone before she reached out to touch Logan's arm. "How's she really?" she asked and her eyes grew wide as she saw how Daken entered the room behind Logan, carrying a boy on his arm and Kazuki clinging to his free hand. "Goddess…," she gasped and eyed the child curiously when the younger feral came to a halt next to them. "My God, Logan…"

"I know…," the feral grunted and still had a problem looking at the child. He had accepted that they had lost him, had mourned him and put so much energy into getting Jean to open up after the incident. It had cost them so much energy… He looked behind him as someone rather grumbled a "Morning" and began to frown, then cock an eyebrow as he watched how his eldest evaded Jean-Paul's attempt to give him a good-morning-kiss. A move that left the speedster and Logan equally confused.

"What's wrong?" the French Canadian asked but received a glare only before Daken handed Jake over to Logan and left the room.

"Havin' a fight?" Logan grunted but Northstar shook his head.

"Not that I know of…"

"Well, somethin' must be wrong. He's pissed."

"I don't know why he…," Northstar began and groaned. "Jealous jerk…," he cursed and went after the feral, catching up with him at the door to the gym. "Seriously now?" he asked and reached out to grab Daken's shoulder. "I went to sign some contracts! Don't tell me you are pissed because of that?"

Glaring at him, Daken brushed the hand off. "Leave me alone!" he warned him and was about to go past the mutant as this one blocked the door. He growled.

"I have a company to run, Hiro! So sometimes, on very rare occasions, I have to go and sign some contracts. What's your problem?"

"Oh, so you have a company now?" Daken mocked.

Jean-Paul frowned and crossed his arms. "You know I do, or knew I do. You visited it with me the last time we were in Canada together."

"Right… And you sign contracts by sticking your tongue into your ex's throat, huh?" Daken growled and pushed him out of the way, but the speedster being faster than him pushed him back against the wall, trapping him.

"Kyle is my brand manager. We're over since 2012. You knew that too!" he snapped and received a push back. "You've already met him…"

"Right… The ex you wanted to marry…"

Northstar frowned. "Who told you that?" he asked and received an angry huff. "Did Mac tell you that?" he demanded to know but Daken remained silent and sulked. "Could we actually behave and talk like grown-ups here?" Waiting, he figured that he was waiting in vain. "Fine. Then thanks for trusting me that much." Angrily, he turned around and stomped down the corridor. It took a moment before he could hear Daken following him. "Oh, now you want to talk?" he snapped and turned sharply, causing the feral to nearly bump into him.

"No, I forgot my towel!" Daken snapped back and pushed past him into their bedroom where he grabbed it and found himself glaring at an equally angry speedster. "What?"

"What is your problem?"

"What my problem is? You could have told me where you were going!"

Northstar huffed. "I was gone for maybe five minutes!"

"Two hours!" Daken growled since Mac had told him so.

"Never!" The speedster shook his head and crossed his arms. "Besides who left a message simply saying _I'll be back_. What are you? Schwarzenegger?"

"Eh?" Daken frowned. "I at least left a message compared to someone who went off to meet his ex!"

"For fuck's sake, he is my brand manager! I had to sign contracts!" Northstar shouted and returned the glare he was given as the phone in his back pocket suddenly rang. He grabbed it and gave the caller ID a look, sighing.

Daken huffed and went for the door. "Just signing contracts, huh?" he mocked and left before Jean-Paul could tell him to wait.

"Criss…," the speedster cursed as the phone began to ring once more. "Quoi, Kyle? I signed the contracts, what more do you want?"

"Oh, perhaps for you to come and help me out? There are soldiers outside of the building and I'm stuck here!"

"Be right there!" Northstar replied and shut the phone. He was out of the window less than a second later.

* * *

Charles looked from the boy, who was currently sitting on a chair opposite of him to Logan, who was standing behind him, at the window, and looking outside. He was deeply in thoughts and could tell that it was the same case with the feral. He had spent the last hour examining Jake and had tried to read the child's mind once more, but he didn't come any further than before. The mind was completely blank and he was sure that this was Sinister's doing. He'd noticed though that Jake wasn't as blankly staring ahead as he was nearly most of the time. "Did Jean or Hank do a drug test on him?" he asked and Logan awoke from his stupor.

"Hm?

"A drug test? Did they perform a test on him?" Charles asked again and Logan shrugged.

"Dunno. He doesn't smell drugged through…" The feral turned around, arms still crossed and leaned back against the wall, watching his son. "Can ya do somethin' for him, Chuck?"

Charles sighed and steepled his fingers. "I don't know, Logan… I can't tell if your son was merely drugged all the time or if he just is like this. I can't read his mind at all. He has the same natural resistance to telepathy as it seems." He heard Logan sighing. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to work with him. Maybe I can get through to him."

"Do it." Logan nodded for he had no idea what he could do in order to get a reaction from the child.

"How is Jean doing?" Charles asked and turned fully to look at him.

The feral shrugged. "She's tryin' t'be strong."

"I see." The Professor nodded. "And you?"

"Confused. 'n angry."

"She really did kill Sinister?"

"Yeah…"

Thoughtful, Charles looked at the boy again. It was still a miracle to him. "Logan, I'm so sorry…"  
"For what?" Logan asked and cocked an eyebrow.

"I should have noticed it somehow… If I had, maybe…"

"It ain't yer fault, Chuck. No one noticed…" The feral waved off and looked at his son. He so didn't know what to think or feel. He almost felt indifferent… He was about to say something as he noticed Charles beginning to frown deeply. "Chuck?" he asked and made two steps into the Professor's direction. "What's wrong?"

"Your son… Akihiro I mean," the man replied and his frown deepened. "Why is he so upset all of a sudden?"

Logan shrugged. "He had a fight with JP."

"No, I got that wave of them already in the morning. He just got upset very much." Charles paused briefly and concentrated. "And now he's getting incredibly angry…"

"I'll better go 'n check it out…," Logan growled. "Thanks, Chuck. I'll ask John t'watch over Jake."

"I already did." Charles smiled and followed Logan out of the room, a sigh escaping his lips as Erik was leaning against the door, smirking at him. "Erik…"

"Charles," the master of magnetism nodded and glared at Logan, who returned the favor. "So, another Wolverine brat, hm? Not mentioning those that probably walk the earth without your knowledge… You might want to check upon your eldest by the way…"

"Go fuck yerself!" Logan growled, handed the boy over to Charles and left. He sniffed and began to follow the scent of Daken, whereas Charles gave Erik a look.

"Locking the two of you up would prove to be quite interesting…," he sighed and began to head for John's room. "What do you want, Erik?"

"Can I not ask how my oldest friend is?" the master of magnetism asked innocently.

"Good. What do you want?"

Erik smirked. "Nothing."

"Sure… You always smirk like this when nothing is on your mind," Charles mocked and stopped in front of John's and Narya's room door.

"You just know me too well," Erik said and left, still smirking.

Charles watched him leaving and sighed. Maybe coming here, he thought, hadn't been such a good idea back then. After Erik had disappeared around the next corner he reached out to finally knock on the door.

In the meantime, Logan had tracked his son down and was now watching his eldest beating the hell out of a punching bag. Not only did the man smell angry, he smelled furious. With his arms crossed Logan leant against the door frame and was surprised that his son was concentrating so much on the punching bag that he didn't take any notice of his father at all. Whatever the reason was, Logan guessed it was a big one. A loud _BAMM_ echoed through the room and the bag tore from its hinges and slammed against the opposite wall. Daken, who was breathing hard and whose skin was glistening with sweat, simply glared at it.

"Son?" Logan asked and Daken startled. Logan nodded at the punching bag.

"Don't ask!" Daken growled and furiously grabbed his towel from the nearby bench, not caring that the filling of the punching bag lay scattered on the ground.

"I do. Even Chuck picked up on yer emotional state!" Logan grunted and followed him to the locker room, watching how Daken threw the shirt he'd been wearing in a corner. "What the hell's wrong with ya?" he asked once more, raising his voice a bit.

"He brought his fucking ex here, that's wrong with me!" Daken barked.

Logan cocked an eyebrow at him. "What for?"

"How would I know?"

"Well he must have a reason. Did ya ask him or did ya blew up right into his face?" Logan asked, keeping his voice calm on purpose.

"I…," Daken snapped and realized that he had. The moment he had seen that handsome African-American man next to Jean-Paul, he had known that it was Kyle. And he had completely seen red…

"See?" Logan said and nodded at the bench, indicating that he wanted his son to sit down on it. "So what's botherin' ya?"

Daken gave him a look as if Logan had just turned into a naked strip dancer. "Father… I said his _Ex_ is here!"

"I heard that," Logan shrugged and leant against the tiles. "'n I asked what's botherin' ya."

His son still gave him the same _are-you-out-of-your-mind_-look. "He wanted to marry him and you are seriously asking what's bothering me?" he asked.

"I know. I was at the weddin'. 'n if I remember correctly it didn't happen 'n they split up." Logan held the look Daken was giving him. "If yer unable t'trust yer partner 'n have that lil' faith in him, ya shouldn't be in a relationship!" he told him without beating around the bush. He waited for a reaction and could tell that the wheels were turning in his son's head. "Look,

I know yer havin' a hard time with the memory loss 'n all. It was the same case with ya before. But bein' in a relationship with someone also means t'trust that person. JP and Kyle are over for a long time 'n last time I checked he called ya his significant other." Logan looked at his eldest, who was now staring at the ground and massaging the back of his hands. He sighed and finally joined his son on the bench. "I know how ya feel, son. Every time a guy only so much as looks at Jean I wanna kill him. It's our nature t'feel that way. But the point is whether ya act upon your instincts or ya control 'em," he told him and Daken gave him a thoughtful look. "Yer feelin' threatened by Kyle, don't ya?" he asked and his son nodded after letting out a long sigh. "It's because ya bit JP."

"What? I didn't…"

"Ya did. Before ya lost yer memory," Logan said. "It's a mark on yer mate. Even with yer memory gone you'll recognize yer mate. 'n the animal in us feels threatened by other potential partners. As I said…ya can act upon it or control it." He held the gaze of his son for a while before he got up in order to leave the room. "I know Jean-Paul for quite a while 'n if I can tell ya one thing for sure, then it's that he's loyal. 'n he's extremely protective of ya. He has always protected ya against the others 'n their prejudices or accuses. So cut him some slack. He probably has a reason for bringin' Kyle here. The two of ya should really learn how t'communicate, ya know?"

"It's new to me…," he heard Daken muttering as he was half out of the door.

"I know. So does he."

Daken got up, sighing and grabbed the shirt from the ground. "I don't get why he likes me anyway…," he muttered while walking past his father, who cocked an eyebrow and followed him.

"Yer sellin' yerself way too short, son," he replied.

The younger feral scoffed. "Do you think I don't hear them talking about me?" he asked and gave Logan an indefinable look. "That I'm a psycho, a traitor and murderer, that I can't be trusted,…that I'm fucked up. And that are some of the nicer things actually… And obviously I don't have any friend but him. Not to mention that some practically ran away when they see me."

"I get the same reaction by people sometimes." Logan shrugged and received an annoyed look for that remark. "What about that Johnny Storm kid? He seems t'like ya. Jubilee 'n Kitty like ya. Yer siblings like ya. Jean likes ya. Chuck, Tony 'n Pepper like ya. Want me t'go on?"

"I was talking about friends, father. Not people that like me," Daken grunted and came to a halt in front of his door, giving it a look after his nose had picked up on the scent behind it.

"I'm sure most of 'em would like t'be yer friend. Now go 'n talk him," his father replied and patted his son's back. "I'll see ya later."

Daken watched Logan leaving before he heaved a deep breath and opened the door. The water in the bathroom was just shut off and his mind began to go through the best ways to apologize, just for him to be completely speechless as soon as he had entered the bathroom and two indifferent blue eyes looked back at him as soon as the feral had come into view. "Hey…," Daken began and busied himself with putting his sweaty shirt on the laundry pile. He turned, thinking that he had found the courage now just to be rendered speechless once more. "Are…you done with the shower?" he asked instead and Northstar nodded in silence as he began to shave himself. In the shower he began to think once more, knew that he had to shove his pride aside in order to makes things right and he felt like a complete idiot. Like a child that was incapable of doing the most natural things alone, and that again proved to him that he wasn't normal and wasn't like the others. He didn't seem to understand feelings like they did, didn't _feel_ like they did. Sometimes it seemed to him as if he didn't feel anything at all.

Sighing, he rinsed and switched off the water, his hand pulling the curtain aside just to make him realize that he had thrown the towel on the laundry pile earlier today, and had forgotten to get a fresh one. The more he was surprised that a hand held out a fresh one into his direction. "Thanks…," Daken muttered and dried himself off before he wrapped the towel around his waist, his hand pushing his thick black hair back. His dark eyes looked at Northstar, who had finished shaving and was looking back at him through the mirror. Not directly, as usual, no, he was putting a distance between them and the feral knew he had the key in his hands to bridge the rift between them. His heart was beating fast as he finally dared to step closer, Northstar's back still towards him, eyes still staring at him through the mirror. "I…," Daken began in a whisper and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier…," he finally managed to say, even though it was barely audible.

"I don't care about what you said to me," Jean-Paul replied sourly.

"No?" Daken asked in confusion.

"No!" The speedster shook his head and turned around, his waist covered with a towel. "I'm mad at you for not trusting me at all obviously."

"I do trust you."

"Obviously not. Otherwise you wouldn't get that angry by just seeing Kyle from afar," the speedster replied and leant back against the cabinet upon which the sink was standing on. "I told you we were over long ago. I can understand that it's difficult for you that he's here, but where was I supposed to take him with S.H.I.E.L.D. following him around?"

"I said I'm sorry…," Daken muttered and stared at the ground. "My father said I reacted that way because I bit you. I should have controlled it."

"Yes, you should have," Northstar agreed, hiding his smile and hoisted himself up so that he was sitting on the cabinet next to the basin. "So you're jealous."

"No."

"No?"

Daken shook his head, his heart beating so loud that he was sure the speedster could hear it. "No, not jealous…"

Confused, Jean-Paul gave him a look. "But?"

The feral shrugged. "Your ex is…normal."

The speedster scoffed. "Yeah, and that was the very reason we split up. Because he always felt not good enough as a normal human…"

"No, I meant _normal_," Daken replied with emphasis on the last word and he broke eye contact as soon as their eyes met.

"So…you think I'd leave you for someone that doesn't have issues and one of the most dangerous mix of disorders possible?" Northstar asked and watched Daken closely. "You actually think I'm _normal_?" He snorted and shook his head grinning, whereas the feral frowned. "Hiro, every psychologist would keep me in therapy for life! And if I wanted to leave you, I'd have plenty of other reasons to do so." He waited and looked at the man in front of him, his eyes following a droplet of water that had fallen from the feral's hair and was now making its way down the man's perfect chest and abs. He still envied him sometimes for being that beautiful and perfectly sculptured… "Also a simple _I'm sorry_ won't do. You can do better than that," he told him cockily and smirked when Daken came slowly closer to give him a brief kiss.

"I'm sorry. Better?"

"Non."

Daken kissed him again. "Now?"

"Not quite. Non."

Sighing, he pulled the speedster in and deepened the kiss until Northstar was breathless. "I'm sorry."

"D'accord!" Jean-Paul smiled and was pulling Daken between his legs as a strand of his wet hair fell into his face. He groaned. "I so need a haircut…," he cried and the feral brushed the annoying strand out of the man's face.

"I can do it later. My hair could need a cut too…," he said and ran a hand through his wet hair with a critical look into the mirror. Daken looked up as his hand was taken.

"I like it that way actually. Don't cut them too short!" Northstar replied and he leant in to kiss Daken once more, his hands grasping the ends of the towel to pull the feral closer. "Hm…you said _later_. Got anything on your mind, babe?"

"Maybe…," the feral said and both grinned at each other.

* * *

The sky was a mix of blood red and black, smoke and death in the air while she was standing in the middle of complete destruction. Bodies lay scattered on the ground that had been ripped open, the rift reaching the core and bodies kept on falling into the opening. The waves that left her body turned the dead people and those that still tried to run into ashes. Their screams were ringing into her ears even after their bodies had long been gone…

Startled, Jean sat up as an arm touched her. She blinked and tried to get her breathing under control again, the aftermath of the nightmare still shaking her.

"Darlin'? Yer alright?" Logan asked and reached out to touch her cheek, his other hand still holding on to hers. "The rooms were shaking."

"I'm sorry… I had a nightmare," Jean replied and ran a hand over her face.

"Must've been a bad one." He gave her a concerned look, his hand reaching out to scratch Callie behind her ears.

"You can say that…" Jean sighed and turned her head away from him, her eyes catching sight of the clock. "It's eleven already? I told you to wake me up after two hours!" she said, shocked before she realized that it wasn't dark on the outside. "It's the next day?"

"Yup. Ya were sleepin' like a rock," Logan nodded and shrugged. "Thought if yer that tired out I might as well let ya sleep. Kids are fine, Chuck's workin' with Jake, so no problem."

"Logan…" Jean whined.

"Ya were tired, darlin'. Period." He lifted something from the ground and placed it on her lap. "'n here's late-breakfast for ya made by yer awesome hubby."

She couldn't help but smile. "Thank you," she said and leant in to kiss him back. He watched her eating in silence and occupied himself with cuddling with the wolf and husky. "Do the children already know?"

"Yap. I talked t'em a'n explained it."

"You did?" she asked surprised and received a nod. "How did they react?"

"Jack asked why we can't be a normal family. Laura's happy that she ain't the weird one anymore. Ray'n Lily got confused but they're fine. 'n Jamie only cares about that wolf puppy'n playin' with Kazu'n Tommy anyway. So….I guess we're fine."

"I hope so…" Jean sighed and put the empty mug down. "Where are the children?"

"Playin' with their friends. Bobby'n some others have a snowball fight 'n they joined'em," Logan replied and suddenly smirked. He put the tray away and knelt down on the bed, kissing her again. "Which means…," he began and sent her a pretty graphic image while wiggling his eyebrows.

"You've got a very dirty mind, mister," Jean smirked and blushed a bit.

"I don't know what ya mean, darlin'," he said innocently and took her hand next.

* * *

Kitty looked up from sorting the laundry with the help of MJ and Elektra as Jubilee returned. She frowned at her friend's unusual red face. "What happened? Did you walk in on Magneto molesting the Professor?" she asked jokingly and threw some colorful shirts on the pile to MJ's right.

"Does anyone actually wanna see this?" Elektra asked and shuddered at the thought. "I can think of some guys I'd rather see naked. Akihiro for example."

"Oh, definitely!" MJ sing-songed and giggled, not seeing how Jubilee's face turned redder. "Jean-Paul is one lucky guy if you asked me," she added, causing Jubilee to turn even redder than red.

Kitty gave her friend another look. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded to know.

Elektra laughed. "She has probably caught them in the act!" she joked, just for her jaw to drop. "No, seriously?"

"It was an accident!" Jubilee cried and hid her face in her hands before she pointed an accusing finger at Kitty. "You sent me to get their dirty laundry, so it's your fault!"

"My fault?" Kitty asked shocked. "I told you to get the laundry and not to…" She gesticulated with her hands instead of saying it out loud. "What's wrong with you watching them doing it anyway?"

"I didn't. I walked in on them because of your stupid laundry! And I didn't watch them doing _it_! They were still making out," Jubilee cried, her face still red and disappearing behind her hand again. The three women watched her for a moment and startled when Jubilee suddenly slammed her hands on the table in front of her. "But damn, it was HOOOOOT!"

Kitty groaned and rolled her eyes, tending to the laundry again. "Don't mind her," she told Elektra and MJ. "That woman is nuts!"

She has barely said it as the door opened and Cap's head appeared. He nodded politely and came closer to drop a bundle of dirty laundry on the table. His eyes then darted to the other huge piles on the floor. "May I help you with it?" he asked but the woman waved off. "Sure?"

"Very," MJ smiled and watched him leaving again, her eyes, as much as Kitty's and Jubilee's, on Cap's behind. "He'd be another candidate, girls!

"

"Another candidate for what?" the stunned man asked confused, his frown deepening as he noticed the strange smiles of the women. "I…better go." On the outside he ran into Jean-Paul and Daken, who both carried the laundry towards the room. "Hi. Be aware of them."

"Jubilee is crazy, I know," Jean-Paul waved off and entered. As the room fell completely silent and every woman was staring at him, he began to frown but didn't let it influence him. In the end, he had gotten and lived through pretty much all reactions possible. Hateful bigots, screaming fans, even louder screaming fangirls… "The laundry. Have fun with it." He dropped his bundle and Daken did the same, the half-Asian man eyeing the women suspiciously. "What?" Jean-Paul mouthed when realization became evident on his boyfriend's face. He was instantly pulled close and listened to what Daken was whispering into his ear, which suddenly felt very hot. The room itself suddenly felt even hotter and the look on Jubilee's face didn't make it any better. "Uhm…," he began and pulled Daken with him towards the door quickly, his cheeks burning. "Au revoir!"

The door went shut and the women remembered how to breathe. "They so know!" Kitty said and shook her head. "Oh, you are in trouble, missy!"

"Why me? It was YOU who sent me!" Jubilee cried and busied herself with the laundry, just to giggle after a moment.

"I know that giggle…" Kitty sighed and wished she was deaf as Jubilee began to tell them the tiniest details of both men's bodies.

"Are you certain?" Northstar asked in a hushed voice after they had passed at least a dozen doors.

"Absolutely," Daken nodded. "It was her scent on our room."

Letting out a strangled noise, the speedster ran a hand over his voice. "Please tell me your joking!"

"I'm not."

"Criss…"

"And even if? Who cares?"

"I do! Because the whole house probably already knows about the tiniest details!" Northstar snapped and Daken shrugged.

"So? We're hot. Half of them would be begging to get our attention that way." The speedster looked at him in silence. "What?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you've got your memory back, babe. That's exactly what your old self would have said."

"Then my old self would have been quite right," Daken shrugged. His mood, however, turned to sheer ice as Kyle came around the corner and waved at Jean-Paul from afar.

"The brand company sent over the outlines for the new clothing line. Do you have time to go over them?" Kyle asked in Québecois.

"Oui," Jean-Paul took Daken's hand and pulled him with him, much to Kyle's dismay.

He kept his mouth shut and followed them to the next free room where he dropped his notebook on the table and opened the lid.

"Take a look." Kyle crossed his arms and waited for Northstar to go through the pictures. What bothered him was that the man did it at normal and not at full speed. Usually, he went through pictures and pages quickly because he could. Now, Kyle knew, he did it slowly for Daken to see them too. His dark eyes took the half-Japanese feral in. He couldn't see why Jean-Paul liked that man so much. He was ridiculously beautiful, yes, his whole looks a dream coming true, but his character…

"What do you think?" Northstar suddenly asked him.

"I think they look great," Kyle replied and received a nod. "From the estimates the company will make another 30 million next year."

"You're that rich?" Daken asked shocked.

"I said the company," Kyle said dryly.

"I put most of my money into the company and the few employees. But yeah, I've got money," Northstar told Daken and pointed at the screen. "What do you think about it?"

"Hold on. He's not part of the business!" Kyle interjected.

"I'm asking him anyway," came the flat reply. "So?"

"I'd change some things…," Daken shrugged and told them exactly what he would change after being asked. He then watched how Northstar pressed _print_ and waited for the printer notebook to send the pictures over to a printer nearby via wi-fi. He then headed off and reappeared a second later with the pictures and a pen in his hand, asking him to draw those changes.

"Here, send it over to them," Jean-Paul demanded and handed the pictures over to Kyle after Daken was done.

The African-American stared at him in an incredulous way. "You are kidding, right?" he asked in French and went on: "Since when is he a designer? I can't mail our major supplier this and tell them to change it!"

"Yes, you can!" Northstar replied and got up.

"No?"

"Yes! It's my brand, my name is on it and I want them to change it!" Jean-Paul said and made it clear that he wouldn't discuss it any further. "Send them over!"

Kyle glared at him for a while, then at Daken and threw his hands in the air. "Fine," he snapped and opened the door. "But if we lose them, it's on you!"

Northstar shrugged and Daken watched how the door was closed rather forcefully. "I don't want you to get into trouble…"

"You won't," the speedster waved off and they left the room together. "Their designs are getting boring. It's always the same. Besides, they are making a lot of money thanks to _me_ and _my_ name is on their clothes, so I decide what they are going to look like!"

"Alright…" Daken turned his head as his name was called.

"We need you for a mission," Johnny Storm waved him over.

Jean-Paul sighed. "That's exactly the reason why I quit this whole superhero crap for 3 times already… Be careful!"

"I will," the feral nodded and kissed him before he headed over to the waiting man.

Northstar wondered about two things: first, how any man could sashay his hips that way and still appear completely masculine, and second, why Johnny Storm looked once more more than happy to see the feral.

"What's up?" Daken asked and left with Johnny, who shrugged.

"Fury wants us to check something out. I don't know." The blond shrugged just to groan next as someone next to them began to hum the "kissing rhyme" next to them. "Drop dead, Wade!" he snapped just to be awarded by Wade starting to sing "You're the one that I want". "I said drop dead!"

"Ohhh, did I spill a secret? I did, didn't I? But then again I actually didn't coz everyone can see how much you are ogling the Snicktling here!" Deadpool ranted and leant his arm on Daken's shoulder while walking with them.

"I…wasn't! Shut the hell up!" Johnny snapped, his face red.

"Think he's hot, don't ya?" Wade teased and completely ignored Daken's attempts to get rid of the merch's arm on his shoulder. "Too bad, blondie. You're not the only one. Everyone thinks he's hot. Well except me. If he were a girl, then yes." He eyed Daken critically. "Ever worn a skirt?" he asked and added before any reply was formed, "Well, a kimono would do too. Does daddy know you love to wear girls' clothing?"

"I don't!" the feral growled and finally slapped the arm away. "Get lost!"

"Ahhh, I see! You wanna be alone with him. I get it. Does your sweetheart know? Or are you in one of those modern open relationships? Or is it actually an open threesome?" Deadpool thought. "Does something like this even exist? Anyway, blondie, I've always known. All this metrosexual crap you've going on? It screams gay!"

"Hold on a second!" Johnny came to a halt. "I'm not…"

"Yeah, yeah. Denial!" Dedapool waved off and gave him a push to keep on walking. "Stop fantasizing about Junior in the showers, here's the real thing right next to you." He clapped his hands together excitedly. "Oh, I'm so looking forward to that bitch-fight between you and the French fries. I better go and make popcorn. Bye, ladies!" He waved at them as the hangar door opened.

"I hate him… I so hate him…," Daken snarled and he and a very red-faced Johnny walked over to the small group that was already waiting for them at the jet. He heard the hangar door opening again.

"And don't forget to be safe! You never know what you might catch. I know what I'm talking about, girls!" Deadpool shouted for everyone to hear and left again.

"I feel the strong need to strangle him…," Johnny growled and turned as Fury addressed them.

"Listen up. This is an intel mission," the man said and held up a photograph for them to see. "One of Tony's manipulated Sentinels sent over these just a few minutes ago. It shows enemy activity and I want to know why this remote location is so important to them. All I know is that it is an empty warehouse at the docks. You'll go and check it out. Take some pictures, don't let the enemy se you and come back. Questions?" He waited and looked at each of them with his one eye. "Good. You will find everything you need in the jet. Hawkeye is the pilot. War Machine will guard the jet in stealth mode since Tony is still not up to it."

Daken looked at Johnny and then at Parker. "Just the three of us?"

Fury looked at him hard. "Yes. Is it a problem or do you want me to get daddy to hold your hand?" he mocked and received a glare in return. "I thought so." He watched them boarding the jet and waited until they had disappeared through the hatch in the roof, before he left the hangar and headed for a specific room. His was reaching out to knock as the door opened and a grinning Victor Creed walked out of the room and past him. Cocking an eyebrow, Fury watched him leaving before he was interrupted by a voice.

"Something wrong?" Domino asked and was still closing the button of her tight black pants.

"Is this a joke?" Fury demanded to know and put his hands to his hips. "Creed?"

"So? A girl has needs, Nick," the woman shrugged and ran a hand through her hair. "What do you want?"

"Updates!"

"Oh…" She nodded and went back into her room, followed by him. "Well, our two patients are still out cold but doing better. McCoy said he thinks they will both wake up soon. He is not so sure about the mental state of patient 1 though. Not that this bitch was ever mentally sane anyway…"

"Could we stay focused?" Fury asked and crossed his arms, deliberately ignoring the mess which was the room and bed. "What else?"

"Stark woke up and is probably still trying to talk Potts into letting him go. If you ask me he'll be back to work tomorrow. Uhm…" Domino reached out to check up on her notes. "I asked this ex of Beaubier…"

"Jinadu, Kyle…"

"Whatever… If he recognized any S.H.I.E.L.D. agents from our database. He couldn't. He said he hadn't seen them up close. I wanted to grab Beaubier but he was busy with that psycho."  
"Well, I think now is your chance. I just sent Daken off on a mission," Fury suggested ironically.

"A deadly one, I hope?" Domino mocked and aimed for the door again. "Oh, and Magneto is up to something. I overheard Maximoff arguing with him. Something Scarlet Witch related again."

Fury nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him."

"Good," Domino said before she asked him mockingly: "Think I can charm Beaubier into spilling some secrets?"

"Good luck with that!"

Rolling her eyes, she left and searched for the speedster.

* * *

Jean smiled as she watched her children chasing after Logan in the snow, the husky and wolf on their trail. Their laughter warmed her heart while her mind was still troubled after the nightmare she had. It had felt so real. As if it had been her killing all those people and losing control. Again. She hadn't felt like Dark Phoenix, however, and this troubled her even the more.

"This wrinkle between your eyes doesn't suit you."

A smile became visible on her lips and she didn't need to turn around.

"That's much better," Charles said and joined her. "You're thinking about that nightmare you had."

"Yes… You noticed?"

"Well the whole building was shaking."

The redhead looked down and bit her lip. "I'm sorry…"

"What for? You can't control your dreams, Jean," Charles simply said and Jean thought that even if he looked so young again, he was still the old Charles Xavier she knew. "It doesn't have to mean anything, you know?"

"I think it does," she admitted and was rewarded with a surprised look.

"How come?" he asked and turned fully into her direction.

"Not too long ago, when we were still at our old mansion and I lay in that coma after Romulus tricked me into attacking Akihiro…"

Charles nodded. "After he told you that Akihiro was responsible for you going into early labor… I remember."

"Yes. I had a similar dream that had felt real," she admitted.

"Do tell."

"I had wanted for things to be as they should have been. So besides dreaming about some things from Logan's past, I also dreamed about Jake being alive… Now he is alive," Jean told him deep in thoughts and Charles immediately understood what bothered her so much.

"And now you fear that what you dreamed about last night will become true, too," he concluded and she nodded after a moment. "Jean… You are the world's most powerful mutant. You have proven more than once that you have the power of foreshadowing…"

"So you are practically telling me that it will happen?" she said and he sighed.

"No, I'm just saying that you can never be sure. It could have also been just a nightmare. In the end, you've been through a lot lately…" He reached out to give her hand an encouraging squeeze. "Don't give it too much thought. Concentrate on the here and now."

Jean lowered her gaze and nodded. "I'll try…"

"Good." Charles started as a snowball suddenly came to a halt only millimeters before it would have hit him straight in the face. He knew Jean had stopped it and his eyes quickly found the thrower.

"Sorry, grandpa!" Lily called and he waved off.

"It's all right, sweetheart," he said before he gave Jean a questioning look. "Is it not actually odd for her to call me grandpa when I'm in my physical prime?" he joked and made her laugh. Smiling, he squeezed her hand once more before he entered the building again just to run into Tony. "Tony, why are you up?" he demanded to know and crossed his arms. "Didn't Hank tell you just yesterday that you need to stay in bed for another three days at least?"

"Two! He said two!" Tony corrected him and went on rummaging around in the fridge. "And I would, if it wasn't for the mere fact that no one brings me my tablet pc or my phone or anything else I could actually work with!"

"Yes, because you suffered a cardiac arrest and nearly died. You need to take it easy," Charles lectured him, but Tony waved off.

"I'm fine. New arc reactor is working, Jean got rid of all these annoying shrapnel in my chest, my heart was repaired and I'm bored. Me and boredom don't go well together and besides…," the Avenger ranted as he spotted Pepper at the door. He immediately knew that he was in trouble. Or better in very deep shit…. "Hi," Tony therefore said and tried to give her his best smile that usually melted everyone's heart.

"Tony…"

Except for Pepper obviously. "Yes, dear?"

"Bed. Now!" Pepper demanded and remained at the door, arms crossed, face serious and Tony couldn't remember that her eyes had ever looked so intimidating. But then again, Pepper usually looked intimidating after he had done something stupid in her eyes.

"Yours or mine?" left his mouth before he was able to stop himself.

"Not funny!" came the icy reply. "Back to the ICU. NOW!"

"Look," Tony began and ignored the fact that the Professor had long been joined by his fellow Avengers, the Fantastic Four and some X-Men, all of them wearing huge grins on their faces. "I'm fine, Pepper. Really. See?" he asked and raised both arms before he knocked lightly on his chest plate. "Like new. So could you just leave me be and…."

"ANTHONY EDWARD STARK!" Pepper said aloud and Tony practically ran back to his sick bed.

Cap nodded impressed. "So that's how you can actually shut him up?"

Pepper waved off. "It only works when I do it." She sighed and was about to go after Tony to make sure he had actually followed her order, when Moira nearly bumped into her.

"There you are. If you want…," she began, gesticulating into the direction she had come from, and Pepper nodded quickly before she followed her.

"Any idea what this was about?" Bucky asked, but Cap shook his head. Both of them turned their heads when the backdoor opened. They watched how Logan and Jean's children bounced into the room, laughing aloud, closely followed by Miloh and Callie. "A whole stampede…"

Cap only smiled at how happy the children seemed to be and became thoughtful when his eyes looked up just in time to see a very happy Logan entering with Jean in his arm. He couldn't help but wonder, if Peggy and he had made it this far if he hadn't crashed into the ice.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Bucky asked and elbowed him.

"Nothing…," Steve said and watched how Logan shouldered Rachel and Jack after the children had kept on bugging him about it, just for Jean to tell them that it was way past their bedtime a moment later. "I just realize that I have nothing…," he finally admitted and was rewarded with an odd look by Bucky.

"Are you kidding? You are _Captain America_!"

"I'm a Captain without a partner or family…," Steve muttered and watched how the children stormed off to get ready for bed, Lily taking Jamie by his hand. "Think about it, Bucky, we don't have anything. No partner, no children, no family. Every one of us lives for the next mission, the next fight," he said and looked at his best friend. "Some of us try to maintain normality with their families, but they are always pulled back into battle. Or they can't live a normal life anymore. Just look at Logan," he nodded into the direction of the feral, who was currently flirting with Jean while sipping on his beer, "From all the people I know I would have never thought that he'd ever have a steady life or children. Let alone that he'd marry. And now he's the only one with a happy family and a steady life… Then look at the two of us."

Bucky did as he was told and looked at Logan first, then at Cap. "You know what I think?" he asked and Cap shook his head. "I think you need to get laid. You're beginning to get sentimental."

"I…," Steve began as Kitty phased through the door, aiming for Logan with a phone in her hand.

Frowning, Logan took it. "Yeah?"

"It's me," Daken said in a hushed voice and the older feral put his beer aside.

"Why are we talkin' over phone?" Logan asked, not knowing that his son had been sent in a mission by Fury. "Where the hell are ya?"

"No time to explain. We can't get through via intercom and I stole a phone," Daken said and remained hidden at a dark corner close to the harbor, his eyes fixed on the warehouse they were supposed to spy on. "Tell Fury we need backup immediately! Something's off and I haven't heard of Parker, Johnny and Barton for quite a while."

"On my way," he heard his father saying and the call was disconnected. Daken left the phone on for them to trace it and threw it into the bushes to his right. He was unsure of what to do. He had no idea if Parker and Johnny were hiding too, if Barton was maybe somewhere way up in the trees and observing the warehouse while he was trying to stay out of sight. His eyes darted to the two Sentinels and dozen MRD soldiers that were standing around War Machine. He couldn't even tell if that guy was still alive… Thinking about what to do, Daken began to scan every higher position once more. Still, he neither saw Spider-Man, nor Barton or Johnny. He should have listened to his feeling that had settled in his stomach after Fury had assigned him to the mission. It had smelled…wrong. He jumped as he was suddenly grabbed from behind and found himself face to face with a mountain of a grim-looking man. His eyes took in the long black-greyish hair with white streaks that was kept in a ponytail, the black eyes, the large fangs that even put Sabretooth's to shame, the huge hands and claws… That smell… He knew that scent.

"So yer still alive 'n kickin', hm?"

The scent and that voice… He knew them, but his mind was still blank. He couldn't remember…

"I should've known ya would survive…"

Daken's mind was racing, he wanted to remember, he knew that man… That his senses were on high alert and he felt as scared as he had after waking up without a memory, no even more afraid than he had at that moment, and that every inner fiber was screaming at him to run…

"Lost yer tongue?"

Daken's stared at the man, frowning, still trying to come up with a name, a memory, anything… The man suddenly smirked.

"Ya don't remember…," he said and put Daken down again, but kept a heavy hand on the much smaller man's shoulder. "Now that's a shame…"

That smirk… That scent…. He was afraid of both… Terrified even…

"Forgetting yer own grandfather like that," Romulus scolded him playfully and checked the sky. "What would dear old daddy say, hm? But then again, ya already did me the favor 'n called him…"

"Grandfather?" left Daken's mouth before he was able to stop himself and he was met with a smile. No grandfather would smile at his grandchild like this…, Daken thought and made a careful step back. His senses were screaming even louder at him to run, to run quickly… Why hadn't he heard that man coming in the first place?

"So ya really don't remember…," Romulus noticed and his eyes suddenly had a dangerous glint in them. "Well, too bad…," he added and his hand rushed forward to grab Daken by the throat, suffocating him. "But then again that means I get to kill ya right in front of daddy's eyes. So let's just wait for him, shall we?" he asked and the last thing Daken saw was a large rock coming closer as Romulus threw him against it…

**Here's finally the new chapter. I had really trouble writing it and more than just one writer's block. I hope you liked it anyway. Please leave a review! See ya!**


	20. Chapter 18

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 18**

The MRD-soldier held his rifle tight in his hands, the muzzle pointing at the kneeling man in front of him, who had his hands bound behind his back and his head covered by a black hood. The soldier kept his eyes fixed on the man, but he was no fool. He had been warned by this monstrous man called Romulus that the X-Men and Avengers would arrive soon and try to save that man. He was prepared, as were his fellow teammates. Even though they were no mutants and had no special powers, they had weapons and they knew exactly who of the mutants had a healing factor and who did not. They had been warned of Wolverine and Sabretooth. And that Phoenix woman. The soldier turned his head as he heard footsteps coming closer and realized that it was _him_. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Who is this creature?" Apocalypse demanded to know, arms folded and cloak draped around his massive shoulders.

"One of the intruders we've caught at the warehouse, master," the soldier replied truthfully, his stomach still feeling funny. He hardly dared to look the man in the eyes.

"What about the other intruders?" Apocalypse asked his eyes fixed on the man on the ground.

"We've captured three. One is still missing."

"Then you better go and find him!"

"Yes, master…" The MRD soldier watched how Apocalypse turned and left again. The chilly air that always seemed to follow the man around vanished, but the soldier was still not feeling better. Especially not as Apocalypse suddenly came to a halt and looked straight at him.

"I want all of them brought towards Time Square immediately."

"May I asked for what purpose, master?"

"What do you think, human?"

Another shiver went down his spine and he gulped before he nodded. "I will give the order immediately, master," he promised and finally, Apocalypse left. The solider, the muzzle still pointing at the captive's head, reached for his intercom and waited for a reply. "It's Barker. The master wants the captives brought to Times Square immediately! Over." He didn't wait for a reply. Instead he pushed the muzzle against the man's head and barked for him to get up and start walking.

"What are you planning to do to me?" the muffled reply came from underneath the hood.

"You never watch the news do you, scum?"

That wasn't quite true. Peter Parker did. So did the others. And he remembered very well that they were wanted and had been branded _Enemy of the State Utopia_. He swallowed hard as he felt the muzzle pressing against his head again and stumbled through the darkness. He had followed the conversation and wondered who else had been captured. The missing one, he was sure – or at least he hoped so – was Daken. If he was still free, they might have a chance. One thing he knew for sure: Cap and the others would give those MRD goons hell. He only hoped that they would make it in time.

It didn't take long after he had been pushed into the back of a car that the vehicle came to a halt and he was roughly pulled out of the back again. Once more came the order for him to start walking, rough hands holding on to his arms as he was dragged up stairs and then pushed down to his knees again. He had to close his eyes when someone pulled off the hood roughly and the blinding light of several floodlights met his sensitive eyes. Parker blinked the dots away and looked to his left and right. His heart was hammering in his chest as he did not only see Apocalypse standing on a makeshift throne high up on Times Square, but also that cameras were filming them and his face was pretty much on every screen he could see. But what was frightening him the most were the three armed soldiers in black, face covered with black masks that were standing close by, their hands on a rifle. His eyes darted to the right where Rhodey was kneeling on his knees, face bloody, a deep gash running from the side of his head almost down to his neck. Then to the left where, to his big surprise no one was kneeling. Hadn't they spoken of three captured people?!

"Utopia!" Apocalypse voice suddenly roared through the silence and Parker noticed that the cameras where now pointing at the man himself. "I hereby present you two traitors that were foolish enough to think they could come back and attack us!"

"Attack you?! We didn't even know you were here, moron…," Rhodey snarled and glared at Apocalypse. He listened to the theatrical speech and the blood in his veins was boiling. His eyes looked at the people in front of the stage. They were clearly hungry, miserable and he saw sympathy in their eyes. He knew their hopes were crushed once more… That they were waiting for help.

"But very well," Apocalypse said and steepled his fingers, his eyes now looking at Parker and Rhodey. "I know your lot is sitting in front of the TV right now. I will prove to the world that they can send whoever they want to stop me. The punishment for treason must me most severe. Your sentence is death and will be carried out immediately!"

"Hold on… What?!" Parker asked, his eyes widening as the soldier in front of him raised the rifle almost immediately, the muzzle now pointing right at his head. "No! WAIT!" he shouted as a shot echoed through the darkness that constantly covered those parts of the East Coast Apocalypse called his, and he heard a body hitting the ground with a heavy _thud_. Shocked, he stared at Rhodey's corpse, the man's dead eyes staring back at him while a pool of blood was gathering underneath his head. Inwardly Parker began to tremble, his mind blank except for a single thought that revolved around MJ and their son. He knew he wouldn't see them again, wished that he could tell them how much he loved them once more. His thoughts were crushed as he heard how the rifle in front of him was loaded and the soldier took aim again. With closed eyes he waited for the inevitable. It didn't take long. A shot and he could think no more…

The soldiers lowered their rifles and turned their heads into Apocalypse's direction, awaiting their next order. The mutant stepped down from his throne and joined them, his eyes staring coldly at the two bodies to his feet. "Master?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Hang them up for everyone to see. Especially for those other traitors to see. They will arrive soon, so be prepared! I want all of them dead except for that Phoenix woman and Wolverine!" Apocalypse demanded and left, leaving the soldiers to execute his order.

The soldiers lifted the bodies and carried them away, some people still watching and whispering. They were fully aware of being constantly watched. If someone from the enemy party only so much as thought they were against Apocalypse or Utopia, their lives would be over. So they watched in silence how the bodies of the heroes the came to know as War Machine and Spider-Man were carried away, their hopes crushed once more that the old heroes would come for their rescue and bring down the dictator that was Apocalypse. As MRD soldiers came to usher them away the people quickly returned home. At least what remained of their homes. The city pretty much lay in ruins. MRD soldiers were patrolling the streets, always looking for victims that they could attack, claiming they had purposely done something anti-Utopian. Whoever spoke up was not to be seen again. The sky was always black, sometimes mixed with red when another building was burning down and the air felt cold as ice. The people hadn't seen the sun in months. Some felt abandoned by the so-called heroes of NYC. In their eyes the X-Men, Avengers and Fantastic Four had cowardly fled and left the people they had claimed to be protecting to their fate. So it came to no surprise to some that the resentment some people felt towards the heroes bordered hate and that the haters wanted to see the heroes at the gallows.

No one noticed the jet in stealth modus that landed close to the harbor or the group that left the jet soon after. Cap, his shield ready in hand, stepped out first, followed by Logan. Cap waited for the feral to scan their surroundings and noticed how Logan suddenly tensed. "Logan?"

"We're surrounded…," Logan managed to growl before they were blinded by lights and MRD soldier seemed to come out of nowhere, their weapons raised and ready to fire.

"Damn it…," Cap cursed and backed off until his back hit Logan's. "How many?"

"Too many… Even if I attack 'em I can only butcher so many before they'd kill someone…," Logan growled and kept his claws extracted. His muscles were tensed to the maximum and he kept an attack-stance in case Cap gave the "Go".

"Get on your knees and hands behind your head or we'll shoot!" one soldier barked at them, which made Logan cock an eyebrow.

"Ya wish, fuckhead!"

"Logan, not all of us are bulletproof like you," Cap whispered and looked at the rest of their 8-man strong team that was as alerted as he was. Logan was right. There was no way that they would survive an attack. It has been a trap in the end and they had fallen for it. He lowered his shield and put it slowly down, heard how Logan retracted his claws and gave his team a sign to stand down. It only took seconds and the soldiers were on them, restrained them, covered their heads with something that blocked out any visuals and sounds and dragged them away. He couldn't tell how much time had passed until a beeping noise hurt his ears and the restraints fell off. He blinked at the light and frowned at the cell they had been pushed in.

"Why didn't you give a sign?! I could have disarmed them?" Northstar grunted and rubbed his wrists.

"Even ya wouldn't have been that fast, kid!" Logan growled and checked upon the bars.

"Is anyone hurt?" Cap asked into the round and looked at each of them.

"Non, just angry…," Remy snarled and crossed his arms. His eyes fell on Kitty, who joined Logan at the bars.

"It's too easy. I could easily phase through the floor."

"I know, kid… This whole thing stinks…"

"How come they knew exactly where we would land?!" Bucky asked and Domino nodded.

"I think I can guess why…"

"Oh, would you shut up?!" Northstar snapped at her with a glare.

"Would you finally lower your pink glasses and face the truth? Shut up yourself!" she snapped back.

"That's usually what they tell me!" Deadpool commented while leaning his elbow on Logan's shoulder and nearly fell as the feral pushed him off. "Sometimes I think you don't like me."

"Ya might be right...," Logan grunted and felt the strong urge to roll his eyes. "I hate bein' locked up. Step away from the bars." He was about to cut through the offending bars as a door opened and someone he knew too well stepped through it. "Why ain't I surprised?!"

"Oh, I missed you too, son," Romulus mocked and Logan was about to give the favor back as another person came into view. His face fell. "Why that long face, son? I almost believe you're shocked…"

"You fucking traitor!" Bucky roared and slammed his hand against the bars, his eyes glaring at Daken, who looked back at them emotionlessly.

The feral opened his mouth as Romulus spoke up "Why are all of you so surprised? Did you really believed he was on your side?" he asked and smiled. "You are really dumber than I thought." His smile turned into a mocking grin as he noticed the glare Northstar was giving him. "Oh, don't look so sad. You're not the first he played."

"Oh, please…," Northstar huffed. "You don't really expect me to believe you, do you?"

Domino groaned. "How blind are you?!"

"Not at all. I just can't believe you are actually falling for this charade."

"The only one who has been falling for something is you," Romulus replied, still smiling in sheer satisfaction. "Or better said all of you. In the end, you did us the favor to come here, didn't you?" he asked and chuckled as he realized how angry all of them were. "He just is that good." Turning his head briefly, he smirked at Daken who was glaring back at him. "But well… I actually came here to let you know that you will be executed in half an hour," Romulus told them before he pointed at Logan. "Except for you, son. Call yourself lucky but Apocalypse wants you alive for whatever reason…"

"Probably t' cut yer goddamn head off," Logan snarled but Romulus simply smirked.

"You want to execute us? Don't make me laugh!" Domino huffed. "First of all, it's easy for us to break out of here. And then, there are still some of us on the outside, who…"

"You don't happen to mean Spider-Man and War Machine, do you?" Romulus asked in a bored voice and crossed his arms. He watched attentively how Northstar came closer to the bars, the man's eyes on the feral who was still standing behind Romulus. He smiled. "Look outside that small window…"

"Why should we?" Bucky asked angrily.

Romulus shrugged playfully. "You might notice someone… Just saying." He grinned as Kitty turned and walked over to the small window that was covered with thick bars. Her gasp was loud enough for everyone to hear. "I see you do…"

"What is it?" Cap asked and took notice of how pale Kitty suddenly was. "What?" Since she was only pointing at the window, tears visible in her eyes, he finally took a look himself. Even if it was very dark on the outside, he could clearly see two people hanging upside down from a street lamp. They weren't alive anymore, he knew that…

"I see you don't watch a lot of TV," he heard Romulus saying with a faked sigh. "It was broadcasted."

"You sick…," Cap began and made room for Logan, who took a look. He wanted to wipe that smile out of Romulus' face and kept glaring at him even as the feral came closer to the bars. "You will lose, you know? Even if you kill us! No dictator in history survived long. The oppressed people will get sick one day and fight back!"

"Will they?" Romulus asked and extracted his claws on one hand, looking at them. "Humanity is dead. We will kill the heroes. And what are you, the great heroes and protectors of mankind actually doing?" he asked and stopped in front of the bars, right in front of Cap and Northstar. "You are hiding on your little island. If we wanted, we could crush you like ants. You are only still alive because Apocalypse doesn't fear you. He calls you weak. And he is right. You gave up instead of fighting back, you are hiding like cowards, you set foot into Utopia for so many times already and what did it bring you?" he said and his eyes switched to the right where Northstar was standing. "Death!" Romulus said and made a fast move.

Confused, Cap looked at him and tried to figure out what just happened, as Northstar suddenly dropped to his knees with a groan. "What's wrong?" he asked and was about to kneel down as he noticed that the speedster's hand, which he pressed against his abdomen, was getting covered with blood.

"I told you, I'd get you…," Romulus said gleefully and retracted his claws as he turned around to face Daken. "Oh, what's with that look, Daken? Got too used to your toy? I just did you a favor!" he mocked and turned back around as something struck him from behind. He was blinded with pain as something sharp forced his way through the back of his neck to the front. Surprised, he gave Daken a look. "W….hat…"

"You just made a big mistake!" the feral growled and retracted his inner wrist claw before he gave Romulus a fast kick against the head. The taller feral fell and Daken was immediately on him. "A very big mistake!" he snarled and grabbed Romulus by the collar, surprised since the feral suddenly chuckled. "What's so funny?!"

"You!" Romulus laughed and coughed up blood. "You're so pathetic…"

"The only pathetic one here is you!" Daken snarled and heard how Logan cut through the bars. "You're dead, old man! You think I don't remember you? One look at you was enough to make me remember!"

Chuckling, Romulus simply grinned at him, completely unfazed that he was bleeding a lot. "Oh, are we starting to cry now? Daddy shows some affection for his broken son and you come crawling on all fours like a dog that is desperate for some attention," he said and Daken gritted his teeth in fury.

"He doesn't need t'come crawlin' on all fours in order t'get my attention," Logan growled and kept his claws extracted.

"Is that so?" Romulus asked and got slowly up, but was punched hard by Logan.

Grabbing him, Wolverine pushed him against the next wall, ramming his claws into Romulus' shoulder and abdomen until they came out on the back and pinned the larger feral to the wall. "Yer gonna pay for what ya did t'him! 'n Itsu!"

Grinning, Romulus leant forward a bit until his face was only centimeters away from Logan's. "And even if… You can't save him. I destroyed him and not even Xavier will be able to repair him. So no matter what you do, son, you can't help or change him. I made sure of that."

"He already changed a lot! Ya can't control him anymore." Logan turned his head briefly to check up on Northstar, who was being taken care of. Cap, however, gave him an alerted look.

Romulus huffed. "It's not about control, son. It's about a mind that has been broken often enough that it's beyond any repair. I see Xavier didn't tell you everything. Again, I may add. You will have to put Daken down one day. That's inevitable! But you have always been that blind and trusting, haven't you? No matter who betrayed you…"

"Are ya done?!" Logan asked and was about to finish the job when Kitty addressed him.

"Logan, he needs medical attention quickly. We can't stop the bleeding!" she told him while she was still pressing her hands on Northstar's leaking wound.

"I made sure to cut the artery. He's already dead," Romulus said nonchalantly and smiled at Daken, who was fuming with hatred and fury. "Why that look, hm? You don't care about anyone but yourself anyway. So what is another dead body?"

"Another dead body?" Daken asked and came slowly closer, his muscles shaking with suppressed fury. "At the moment it means the world to me!"

Logan hadn't so much as blinked when his son suddenly made his move and used his claws to cut right through Romulus' neck, sending the head flying and blood splattering. He quickly retracted his claws before the massive body would come crushing down on his claws and watched it hitting the ground with a loud _thud_. For a second he was too shocked to realize that his son had just beheaded Romulus without the slightest sign of emotions on his face. He looked at his son, who blankly stared at the body in front of him, and wondered what the man was thinking or feeling. If he was feeling anything at all. In the end, Romulus had held a meaning to him, had raised him, trained him, taught him and Daken had loved his mentor in a way that only his son could understand. Logan knew that a connection like this could never be severed that easily. He himself had been trained by so many people that he had come to respect and love like a family, just to learn that they had been playing him all along. Even after killing them he still felt the connection deep within him. "Son?" he asked carefully and had to put his hand to Daken's shoulder before the younger feral reacted. "We need t'go! Now!"

Daken gave the head a nod, stared at the black eyes of Romulus that looked back at him blankly. "We need to get rid of his head… Otherwise they can revive him…," he replied in a monotone voice and Logan nodded.

"I'll take care of it. You've got someone else t'take care of, kid," Logan said and as if a switch had been thrown Daken suddenly retracted his claws and turned to around to kneel down next to Northstar, who was pale as a ghost and losing way too much blood for his liking. "You're not going to die on me, you hear me?" he warned him and got out of the shirt he was wearing, uncaring about his exposed upper body and pressed the fabric on the leaking wound. "Hold it," he told Kitty, who did as she was told and watched how he got rid of his belt next and fastened it around Northstar's abdomen to put pressure on the wound. He then pulled him up and went over to the door. "Are you coming anytime today?"

"You are in no position to boss us around!" Bucky snapped at him. "Just in case you haven't notice, we lack weapons!"

"Down the corridor to the right. Now hurry up," Daken demanded and left the room, face grim. He walked quicker than usual, not caring if the others were following him and kept his senses on high-alert. If anyone would get in his way, he'd make sure that person would regret it.

"The Sniktling looks quite grim, don't you think, daddy?" Deadpool asked and followed suit, keeping pace with Logan. "When's the wedding?"

"Wade, shut up!" Logan snarled and waited for the team to get their weapons back. His eyes gave Northstar a look over. He was no medic but even he could tell that the speedster was rather dead than alive. "We need t'hurry up. We go straight back to the jet."

"They'll be patrolling it and it's too far away!" Daken disagreed. "We steal one of theirs. We can still active the autopilot of our jet from Genosha!"

"You are in no position to order us around!" Domino said. "We go back to our jet!"

"Well, good luck!" Daken shrugged and turned to leave.

"Wait! You can't carry him and expect to make it to an enemy jet!" Cap tried to stop him, but was ignored. "WAIT!"

"No, I won't! He'll be dead before we've walked even half of the route!" Daken snapped at him with a glare. "I don't care if you die here, but I'll be damned to let him die just for you!"

"He's already dead as much as he's bleeding, so…" Domino aimed for the opposite direction, not noticing that he was glaring daggers into her back.

"Don't get yourself killed. I'm dying to do it myself," he said and looked down at the man in his arms, who uttered a weak groan. "Don't die on me…"

"Don't think I can promise that, love…," Northstar muttered in a weak voice that made the feral feel an emotion he couldn't name and would rather forget.

"We go to find an enemy jet!" Cap gave the order and noticed how Bucky and Domino were about to protest. "Anyone who doesn't like this idea is free to leave. Logan and I will take the lead. Wade and Remy will cover our backs. Kitty, you'll walk in the middle with Daken. Any questions?" he asked.

"We can't leave them here!" Kitty said and he knew who _them_ were.

"We'll go and get them. We'll meet you at the jets!" Bucky said and headed off with Domino.

"You know where the jets are, don't you?" Cap asked after Daken had started walking, or rather jogging, again.

"Yes. They are close by," Daken replied and decided to share some information that he had gathered. "They use the front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for their executions. You landed the jet close to Battery Park. I'm sure they left it there and guard it. When Apocalypse is in town he stays at the Cathedral Church of Saint John. He's quite unhappy because Phoenix killed Sinister. Stark's virus killed most of their Sentinels except for these upgraded ones. Those Deathloks are former mutants and Sinister made them scentless. It's impossible to pick up on them. Apocalypse keeps most of the Devils with him as his personal army in Washington. He still resides in the White House."

"Where are we currently located at?" Logan asked as they went through another corridor and headed for the stairs. "Why are there no guards?!"

"I stole some poison and put it into their food…," Daken replied emotionless. "Most MRD soldiers are former S.H.I.E.L.D. by the way."

"Just great…"

"We're at Columbia University, currently heading through East Asian Library and on our way to South Lawn. They keep two jets there," Daken went on and started running after he heard Northstar's pulse weakening. "Three soldiers located 150 meters further down the corridor," he informed them and handed Northstar over to his father, who gave him a surprised look since the feral didn't slow down and ran straight towards the soldiers.

"What is he…?!" Kitty began and watched how Daken easily evaded their attacks and didn't care about two bullets hitting him in the abdomen and shoulder. He simply sped forward and butchered them as soon as they were in reach of his claws. "Never mind…," she said and they joined him at the door. The chill of the air surprised her and made her tense for a moment. "Can anyone fly this jet?!"

"Nope…," Logan asked and looked at Remy.

"Remy can't fly dis, mon ami," Remy shook his head.

"I can," Daken said and stopped at the hatch, his sensitive ears picking up on something. He knew his father had noticed it too.

"They are comin'…"

"How far away?" Cap asked and pressed a button that opened the hatch.

"Four or five blocks maybe…," Logan shrugged and stepped aside as the hatch opened, his ears trying to pick up on Domino and Bucky. His attention was caught by something else though. He had barely turned his head towards the jet again as Deathlok inside had already raised his weapon and took aim. "DOWN!" Logan barked as two shots echoed through the night already. He hit the ground hard and ducked as Remy used the moment to attack the Deathlok that was about to reload.

"Die!" the Cajun barked and hit the enemy with a stick that sent him backwards where Deadpool's swords were already waiting, and making short work of the Deathlok. "Dis was close…," Remy said and spotted their two remaining team members. He raised his hand to wave into their direction as Logan began to frown. "Quoi?"

"Cap?" Logan asked since the man was still lying on the ground, covering Kitty. "Steve?!" he asked again and knelt down, his eyes finally seeing a wound on the back.

Simultaneously, Domino and Bucky arrived, both breathless and carrying their dead teammates, who they lay carefully into the jet. "No sign of Hawkeye…," Bucky informed the group and began to frown as he saw how Logan reached out to turn Cap around. "Steve?!" he asked and knelt down next to his best friend, who fell on his back like dead weight. His eyes widened as he noticed the two bullet holes in Cap's chest. "Please no!" he muttered and reached out to search for a pulse. "His pulse is weak!" Bucky told the group and was about to ask Logan to help him with Cap as this one uttered a noise that sounded like a wounded animal.

"Logan, what…?" Remy began as his voice died and he saw the source of Logan's outcry in the man's arms. "Non… Non!" he cried and fell to his knees next to Logan, who held Kitty close and rocked her in his arms.

Domino stepped closer, confused about the situation as she saw how two dead brown eyes stared up into the sky. "Oh God…," she muttered and figured that the bullet which had gone straight through Cap's chest had hit the girl straight in the heart. "Damn it…"

"Guys, I hate to rush but we need to go!" Deadpool interrupted them as he heard soldiers barking commands not too far away from them. "Like now!"

"Get in here damn it!" Daken snapped and started the engine.

"Logan?" Domino asked and Remy helped her to get him inside the jet. She quickly pressed the button and raised her guns in case the enemy opened fire on them. The hatch had barely closed as bullets began to hit the metal and Daken directed the jet away from the scene. Her eyes fell on Bucky, who desperately tried to get a respond from Cap, then to Logan, who refused to let go of the girl in his arms, and in the end, to Rhodey and Peter, who lay dead and broken to her right. A fury she had never felt began to sprout in her. Especially, when she looked at their pilot…

"Damn, chérie… Why didn't you listen to da Wolverine 'n stayed home…?" Remy muttered and reached out to stroke over Kitty's hair, angry tears visible in his eyes as he was reminded once more of the day the mansion had been blown to pieces. "Dey'll pay… Remy'll make sure dat dey pay…," he promised and looked aside where Northstar lay, the blood still leaking out of the wound and the man barely conscious anymore. He crawled over and reached out to check on the pulse just to find it barely noticeable anymore. "He's dying…"

"He won't!" Daken snapped at him from the front, but Remy shook his head.

"He is, mon ami… Jus' look at him." To his surprise the feral let go of the controls and shouldered him aside. "Da jet!"

"Is on autopilot!" Deadpool called from the front. "Hell, the Sniktling is smarter than I thought… Well, not as smart as me, but smarter than a sandwich. That was a compliment by the way," he added and watched the jet piloting itself to their destination. From time to time, he looked behind him.

"You promised me…," he heard Daken saying through gritted teeth while Northstar lay between his legs in his arms, eyes heavy lidded. Deadpool, however, pictured the scene quite differently in his messed up mind and saw a bawling feral in an almost _Romeo & Juliet_ like scene.

"I'm sorry…," Northstar breathed barely audible and cough up blood. He lay heavy in the feral's arms, hands linked and his breathing coming in short gasps. He was able to hear the noises, even though he felt like being trapped underwater, and seeing seemed to be getting harder and harder with every passing second. His eyes were fixed on the feral as something next to the beautiful face caught his attention. His eyes widened as he recognized the face that was so similar to his own. "Aurora? Est-ce que tu…?" he asked and smiled back as his twin sister was giving him a gentle smile.

Gritting his teeth, Daken looked up as the jet began to land and ordered Remy to open the hatch.

"It's too late, mon ami!" the Cajun said but did so anyway.

"You're not going to leave me, you hear me?!" Daken snapped at Northstar after he had forced the man to look at him. "I won't allow it!" He pulled him up and started to run towards the ICU as soon as he fit through the hatch. He passed Pepper on his way and ignored their question, leaving the redhead to look after him.

Only shaking her head in confusion, Pepper continued her path and came to a halt in front of the tech-room. She knew Tony had thrown caution to the winds and was working again, despite Hank telling him to rest. Her hand shook as she reached out to touch the panel next to the door and her heart was racing horribly. She couldn't remember ever being that scared, except for the time he had been taken hostage and just recently after his heart had stopped beating. Still, this was something else entirely. Finally, she pressed her hand against the panel and the doors slid open, revealing Tony working on his Iron Man suit while Jamie was watching him with big eyes. Pepper couldn't help but tear up at the sight.

"See? And when you are good at maths, and I'm sure you are, you can build your own suit, get rich, have everything you want, including a huge building with your name on it and…," Tony looked up as he spotted Pepper, "…and a nice girl that holds most of your shares."

"You mean twelve percent….," Pepper rolled her eyes and entered the room, smiling at Jamie. "Hey."

Tony waved off. "Anyway… Said girl will make a huge scene now, so watch and learn how to protect yourself, kid!" he told Jamie and gave his suit a critical look. "Why does no one have better tech around here?!" he complained and sighed before he went on working.

"Tony?" Pepper asked carefully and bit her lip.

"Hm?" he made and didn't pay attention at all, his mind busy with the repairs.

"We need to talk, Tony…"

"Mhm…"

"Are you even listening?!" Pepper said and he gave her a brief look.

"Yes. What's up?" He held up a part of his suit and turned it several times critically. "Where does this come from…?!" he wondered and threw it aside with a shrug. After a long pause, Tony raised his head again. He was sure Pepper had been speaking to him. However,…he couldn't tell what. "You were saying?" Swallowing as he saw her glare, he raised both hands quickly. "Hey, I'm teaching the kid something useful here! Cut me some slack, Pepper!"

The redhead sighed. "That's actually what I've been talking about…"  
"What?" Tony asked, completely confused and looked at Jamie after Pepper had nodded at the boy. He pointed at him. "Oh… I get it."

"You do?" she asked, hopefully that he had paid attention and she didn't have to confess again. She already felt like vomiting again because of her nervousness. "Thank God…"

"Yeah, I do. I totally get it," Tony waved off and gave her his best smile.

"And…what do you think?"

He watched her coming carefully closer. "I think it's great!"

That threw her off. "Really?! I mean… The time is completely wrong and…"

"You think?" Tony asked, confused, and looked at Jamie. "I think the time is okayish…"

"You do?" Pepper asked and was completely surprised by his reaction.

"Sure. I mean…why not?" He shrugged. He frowned as she suddenly threw herself at him, pulled him close and sniffed into his neck. He was sure he had missed something of importance.

"I was so worried about how you'd react," Pepper told him and gave him a happy smile. Before he could asked what this was about, she was hugging him again. "I know you will make a great father, Tony…," she whispered into his ear and immediately felt him tensing up. A look into his shocked face was enough to let her know that they had been talking about two different things all together. And the fact that he gave her this strange look and had made a step back didn't help to calm her nerves. "Tony…," Pepper began as the door behind them went open and Bucky entered.

"Tony?" he said and beckoned him to come over fast.

"Yeah?" Tony asked and walked quickly over to him, his mind racing. "Why that look on your face?"

Bucky looked to and fro between the couple and finally ran a hand over his face. "I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Tell me what?" Tony asked and heard how Pepper, who had pulled up Jamie, came closer too.

"Rhodey and Cap…," Bucky said and was at a loss of words.

"Did something happen to them?!" Tony demanded to know, eyes wide.

"You didn't watch TV then?" Bucky asked and Pepper shook her head.

"Could you just tell us what happened to them?!" Tony asked in annoyance and Bucky heaved a deep breath.

"They've executed Peter and Rhodey. We were too late…"

While Tony could just stare at him, Pepper covered her mouth in shock. "And Cap…?" he managed to ask after a long moment of silence.

"Is still in surgery. A Deathlok surprised us and Cap tried to protect Kitty. Two bullets hit him in the chest," Bucky told them and looked down. "One was full penetration and hit Kitty straight in the heart," he added and lowered his gaze.

"She's…dead?!" Pepper asked shocked and had to lean back against the wall. "Oh my God…" One look at Tony was enough to tell her that he was boiling with fury. "Tony…," she began but he left and went straight to the ICU, where he ran straight into Daken and Hank, who were both shouting at each other.

"I don't care what you have to do!" the feral barked whereas Hank had tried up to know to stay calm.

"Your blood won't work. Neither will Logan's. I am sorry, but this is how things are!" Hank said once more and was grabbed by the collar and pushed against the next wall. A growl escaped him. "Take your hands off me, boy!"

"I'm pretty sure there is someone around us with the right blood type," Daken snarled and his eyes were narrowed to angry slits. "Who is it?"

"I can't tell you, and you know that! I already asked that person. He refused," Hank replied and pushed Daken off him. "I'm sorry, but I doubt Jean-Paul would make it even if we had a donor. His liver was injured too and…"

"You can have mine and now tell me who that fucking donor is!" Daken demanded and snatched the chart away from Hank.

"I can't!" the furry mutant said angrily and took the chart back, but Daken's eyes told him that he had already seen the name. "He refused, so what do you intend to do?!" he called after Daken when this one aimed for the door.

"Ask him!"

"I won't accept his blood, if you force him in any way!"

Daken huffed. "I said, I _ask_ him. He will do it voluntarily."

"For Christ's sake, boy…," Hank called, but Daken was already gone. "Unbelievable…" Shaking his head, Hank's eyes fell on Tony, who looked through the window and watched Jean working on Northstar, while Moira was closing the wounds in Cap's chest. The man looked tense. And angry. "Tony…?" Hank carefully asked and the man looked at him with hard eyes. "Steve will make it. The bullets missed his heart by millimeters and did not injure any major vessel. He was lucky...," he told him, his voice breaking when he said the last sentence and his eyes became sad. "We lost too many today already…"

"Where're Rhodey and Peter?" Tony demanded to know and walked towards the room after Hank had pointed at the door. Inside, he found a devastated MJ, who was held by an equally sad Elektra, and crying her eyes out. He nodded at Elektra before he put a hand to MJ's shoulder and looked at Rhodey and Peter, who both lay on two tables and were half covered by a white, thin blanket. The bullet holes in their heads stood out against the pale skin and he once more felt how fury began to boil in him. He looked aside as he noticed that he hadn't seen Piotr standing next to another table, holding Kitty's cold hand and looking down at her still form. They had lost too much today and it made him angry. Maybe, he thought, if he had been there, he could have prevented this. If this damn arc reactor hadn't failed him… If… Angrily, he left the room as the alarm suddenly went off and made him froze. Bucky came through the door, gun at the ready and looked around.

"Hangar!" he barked over the alarm and Tony quickly went into the adjourning room to suit up.

"Tony…," Pepper said but he waved off and went straight for his suit. Thanks to his work, it only took seconds before the he was in the suit and took the helmet next.

"Go and hide!"

"Tony, wait!"

"No, go and hide!" he said harshly and left her standing in the middle of the room. When he reached the hangar, Bucky had already been joined by Storm, Nightcrawler, Iceman, a very angry looking Logan, the remaining members of Alpha Flight and John Logan, who was already donning his ghost form.

"If it's the enemy attack! Don't wait!" Logan commanded and kept the claws at the ready. "I want their heads for what they did!" His eyes were staring up at the ceiling and waiting for the jet to show. It was their jet, he knew that. But the systems had told them that people were on board and they had alarmed the island, in case they were attacked. He wouldn't allow their enemy to start another surprise attack on them. That was for sure.

"It's coming!" Storm said and they went into an attack stance.

Together they watched how the jet landed and the engines went offline. Seconds later the hatch opened, but to their surprise it was a familiar face that came into view.

"Don't shoot, please!" Bruce Banner, looking disheveled , said in a calm voice and had both hands raised to show them that he didn't mean any harm.

"What the…," Bucky said and lowered his gun. "What are you doing here all of a sudden?"

"Long story," Banner said and made room so that everyone could get off the plane.

Logan watched how Black Widow came out first and had trouble keeping a barely conscious Hawkeye on both feet. She was followed by a woman in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. He went over to lift the man up into his arms and nodded at Natasha. "Nat."  
"Logan," she greeted back and nodded at the jet. "Don't go into a fit, okay? He's on our side and you actually know him…"

"Know who?" Logan asked and cocked an eyebrow. His eyes narrowed as a Deathlok followed Banner out of the jet. He immediately began to growl.

"No! He's really a friend!" Black Widow told him and stepped between the two. "It's Johnny Blaze. Sinister did this to him."

"Seriously? The Ghost Rider?" Logan asked and gave the Deathlok a look over.

"Keep your stupid remarks to yourself, Logan," that one replied.

"Well… Ya never looked better," Logan said anyway and received a glare.

"I hate to interrupt, but Barton needs a medic. I did what I could without medical equipment," Bruce interrupted them.

"Our medics have their hands full," Storm said and Bruce shrugged.

"I only need the medical equipment."

"Follow me," the weather Goddess said and showed them the way.

"Ya look like shit, Nat!" Logan grunted and Black Widow huffed. "Good t'see ya."

"Likewise," she replied and frowned as she saw how Moira pushed a sick bed into the next room. "Was that Cap?"

"Yeah. Long story," Logan grunted. "How did ya get our jet?"

"Long story," she said and sighed. "We're in deep shit. Where is Fury?"

"No idea. Hopefully hidin' from me," Logan told her and put Barton on a free sick bed.

"Why?" she asked and made room for Banner, who immediately began his work.

"He sent 4 of us on a mission in secret. Two are dead, one wounded. The rescue team went in, another one dead 'n two badly wounded…," Logan grunted and crossed his arms. He, too, was watching how Banner worked on Hawkeye and could already tell that the man looked worse than he already was. A bullet had hit him in the shoulder, close to the neck. But the amount of blood didn't look life-threatening to him. His head turned as he saw a movement on the other side of the glass window and watched how Jean wiped the sweat of her forehead.

"He'll survive," Bruce suddenly said and looked at them. "Can we just leave him here?"

"Dunno," Logan shrugged and guessed that if Jean was done with work anyway, he could very well ask her mentally.

It didn't take long and she joined them, her look telling him that she was completely exhausted. "Hey…," she greeted him and he pulled her into a brief kiss.

"That's Jean. My wife," Logan introduced her and smirked at the surprised looks. "That's Natasha Romanoff 'n Bruce Banner," he told her and watched how they shook hands, before he gave that S.H.I.E.L.D. woman a questioning look. Somehow she looked very familiar, but he couldn't place her. "'n no idea who this is…"

"Sharon Carter," the pretty blonde introduced herself and shook Jean's and then Logan's hand.

'"Can we leave him here?" He nodded at the sick bed.

"We better put him into the same room as Steve. In case of complications we can act faster that way," Jean said and used her powers to move the bed out of the room and into the next room; the others following her.

"How's Cap doing?" Natasha asked and sat down on a chair next to Hawkeye's bed, while Sharon took the second chair between Cap's and Clint's bed.

"He should be fine, but won't wake up so soon. We used pretty strong pain killers," she told them and received a nod. As she heard Logan's voice in her mind she looked at him. "Jean-Paul doesn't look so good. I'll be surprised if he survives this night…," he answered his question mentally.

"Damn…," Logan cursed and ran a hand through his messed up hair. "I better go 'n check up on my son before he does somethin' stupid…," he announced and gave her another kiss before he headed to the door. "See ya later!"

Bruce and Natasha exchanged a look, the latter shrugging before her attention was back to Hawkeye. "Logan's got a son?!" he asked surprised and Jean smiled tiredly.

"He was talking about his oldest son right now," she replied.

"You mean he actually got more?!" Black Widow said and her usually unreadable face showed surprise.

"Yes, we have three sons and two daughters of our own, plus an adopted girl that is related to him."

"Okay…," Bruce nodded. "I'm shocked. And speechless."

"Not only you," the other redhead said.

"If you excuse me, but I need to check up on another patient," Jean said and began to walk over to the door. "I'll send someone of our team who can show you around." With that she left and headed straight towards Charle's room. Before she could even knock he told her mentally to come inside. She closed the door behind him and returned the smile she was given. Her eyes then fell on Jake, who was sitting opposite of Charles on a sofa. "How is he doing?"

"Look for yourself," he smiled and she did, a gasp escaping her lips as she saw that the boy was actually looking at her.

"Oh my God… How did you do that?" she asked and knelt down next to her son, who eyed her curiously.

"I found a mental barrier very deep in his mind and managed to destroy it," Charles explained. "I'm not sure how much English he understands, if any at all, but I'm convinced that he will get better as soon as he interacts with his siblings."

Jean heaved a deep breath and reached carefully out to stroke over her son's messy, almost black hair. "That would be a dream coming true…," she said more to herself and remembered that dream again in which Jake had been alive and normal and Jamie hadn't even existed.

"You look exhausted, Jean…," Charles noticed and she let out a heavy sigh.

"It's been a long day…," she admitted tiredly and ran a hand through her long her. Right now she was longing for her bed and her bed only.

"Yes…," Charles nodded and his face became serious. "And a sad one…"

"You can say that…"

"Is Peter still with Kitty? I wanted to go and see him," Charles asked and Jean nodded. "You should really get some sleep, Jean. There are enough people on the ICU already," he said and got up, putting a hand to her shoulder.

"Yes," she said and pulled her son up before she followed him to the outside. "Wake me up in case I'm needed, please!"

Charles frowned. "Isn't that actually your husband's task?" he asked playfully.

"Yes, but my husband never listens to me and lets me sleep."

He laughed. "All right. I'll wake you in case you are needed."

"Thank you," Jean smiled and stifled a yawn. They parted ways and while Charles went for the ICU, Jean went straight to her room where she found Logan standing at the window and watching how the sun rose. "Logan?" she asked and dropped Jake to his own two feet. She went over to the feral, who lowered his gaze as she came to a halt next to him, her hand taking his. "It wasn't your fault…"

"Yeah?" he huffed and gave her a brief look only. "I shouldn't have taken her with us… I told her t's stay at home."

"It was Kitty's decision, Logan… She wanted to come with you," Jean tried to calm him down but he didn't want any of that. She let go of his hand as he walked over to the bed and sat down on it, his eyes on Jake, who walked slowly towards them, now eying his father curiously.

"She always said she wanted kids…," he muttered and Jean looked at him sadly. "I should have protected her. I shouldn't have taken her with us…," he went on and lowered his head, the buried it in his face.

"Logan…" Jean sighed and joined him on the bed, hugging him from behind.

"First Amiko, then Rogue, now Kitty… I'm Foster Father of the Year…"

"Could you stop torturing yourself, please?" she begged and made him look at her. It hurt her to see him like this, knew that he would only let her see him like this. "It was her choice. She made the decision… What happened is tragic, but there's nothing you could have done, Logan. Even if you had said no, you know Kitty! She's been the same pighead as you. She would have followed you anyway…" They looked at each other for a while and he finally leant in to pull her into a tight hug. "It wasn't your fault. You're a tremendous father. And Peter knows that. He knows as well as I do that if there had been a chance, you would have done anything to protect her. No one blames you…"

"I do," he muttered into her shoulder and pulled her closer before he let go with a sigh and sniffed. His eyes fell on Jake, who was still eyeing them from aside. "He's different…"

"Yes. Charles managed to break a barrier that had been in his mind. He is just not sure if Jake actually understands us," Jean told him, still leaning against him from behind and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Did ya ask him?"

"No. But I guess Charles did…" She yawned and heaved a deep breath. "The kids will be up soon…"

"They are still stayin' with their uncle…" He gave her a critical look from aside. "Yer tired as hell, Jeannie."

"You too," Jean returned the favor and he nodded.

"Yeah…"

"Then let's get some sleep," she suggested and got up to change into her sleeping wear.

Logan, however, remained on the bed and kept on looking at his son, who was still looking back at him with hazel eyes. "Well, kiddo, what t'do about ya, huh? Mommy 'n I need some sleep," he grunted and got up to close the curtains before he stripped down to his boxers and pulled the covers aside. He turned his head as Jean came out of the bathroom and slipped underneath the covers next to him. "What about him?" he asked Jean.

"He must be tired too. Charles has been up all night in order to work with him…"

Nodding, Logan got up and pulled his son up. "Well… Guess we got some sleepwear for ya t'find, huh?" he said and tried Jamie's, which fit to his surprise. "How about some sleep, kiddo?" he asked and took one of the mane plushies around to hand Jake one. "Here. Yer siblings won't miss it."

"Are you sure?" Jean asked playfully. "I just want to remind you of the fit Jake had after Jamie supposedly abducted his plush wolf…" She made room for him and smiled at Jake when Logan put him into their middle. Reaching out, she stroked over his hair and tugged him in.

"If Jack heard ya, he'd tell ya that he was too grown up for a plushie," Logan grunted and switched off the light on his side of the bed. He yawned and gave her a dissatisfied look. "Yer too far away…," he grunted just to realize that she was already asleep, her arm protectively wrapped around their son. "Well, kiddo, that's yer mommy. Always tellin' me she ain't tired 'n then she's out like a light…," he said and reached over Jean to switch off the light on the nightstand before he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Love ya," Logan whispered and got settled, his mind still racing with everything that had happened the day before and at night…

* * *

Daken was angry and everyone that noticed got out of his way. He didn't care. He had searched all Utopia for the person he was looking for and couldn't find Pyro. Furious, he was stomping down the corridor as Johnny Storm crossed his way. Even his best effort to ignore the man didn't stop the blond from addressing him.

"Hey, I heard what happened at night."

"Oh yeah?" Daken mocked and gave the man a death glare.

"Yeah. Sorry about your better half. How is he?" Johnny asked and suddenly found himself pressed against the wall, a fuming feral on him. "Hey, what…?"

"I was looking for you and you simply disappeared!"

"I was trying to find a location where I could make a call for backup!" Johnny defended himself.

"Oh, really?!" Daken snapped and tightened his grip on the man's throat. "Just admit you went back here!"

"I…didn't!" the blond man hissed and fought against the grip he was in. "The place was crawling with MRDs. The moment the call went through, the backup team had already left here and I was told to come back to base immediately."

Glaring at him, Daken finally huffed and let Johnny fall to the ground. "Doesn't matter…," he simply said and continued his way to the ICU.

Johnny rubbed his burning neck and watched him in confusion. "What do you mean?" he called after him and he could have sworn he had never received a look that had given him the chills.

"If he dies, I'll kill you and everyone else responsible for this mission!" Daken promised and disappeared behind the door of the ICU. He stopped at the window and looked at the man, who was pale as a ghost, looked rather dead than alive and was covered with tubes, wires and who knows what else, while he was hooked up to machines. As Daken's eyes fell on Kyle, who was sitting next to the bed together with Narya, he became furious. He hated that man just for the simply reason of existing. As the door to the infirmary opened behind him he didn't turn around. Whoever it was could go to hell.

"Very dark thoughts for such a pretty face…," a female voice that reeked with arrogance said behind him and Daken turned his head, just to look at a very female woman with long blond hair, icy blue eyes and a dress that made her look like a hooker. He recalled that she had been one of the two women that had been rescued from Sinister's facility. If he was not mistaken, she had been the telepath that had been hooked up to the Cerebro-like machine. "My and how pretty we are," she smiled at him and he felt the strong urge to cut through her like paper. "Now tell me… How did I get here and who is the boss around here?"

Daken huffed and crossed his arms, his eyes unreadable and dark. "What if I'm the boss around here and hate taking orders?"

She simply smiled and came closer until her hand touched his chest. A jolt went through him and he gritted his teeth as he recognized that feeling as revulsion. He could practically feel his claws cutting through his skin and his mind immediately pictured her laying on the floor, the walls and ground bloody, while her body parts lay scattered in the corridor. "Well, if you were the boss around here, I'd be curious to know your name, handsome."

"Daken…," he spit out and wondered if she would scream if he started cutting her skin off.

"Daken? Strange name…," she commented, but didn't lose her smile. "I'm Emma."

"Emma who?" Daken demanded to know and wanted to crush the bones in her hand that touched him.

"Emma Frost," she replied and her smile widened…

**I know short chapter and another cliffie. I actually wanted the chapter to turn out a bit different as it finally did, but hey, at least I managed to update. I have to study for my last exam at college and don't know if I can find time to write. My exam is on October 8 and I really have a ton to read for it. I'll try to update ASAP. Thanks for the nice reviews! I hope you liked this chapter (and won't lynch me for all the killing). Please leave a review! See you soon, I hope!**


	21. Chapter 19

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Quote from "Requiem for a Dream".**

**Reference to "Changes Sequel 1 – Darkness: Chapter 26"**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 19**

Daken looked at the women with cold and unreadable eyes. He knew very well who she was, but she didn't have to know that. He gave her another resigned look before he left her standing in the corridor and contemplated if he should just kill Kyle right away or let him slowly bleed out. It still pissed him off that he was unable to find Pyro. A whiff of his pheromones would be enough to make that man beg to please him. Right now Pyro ranked the highest on his mental list of who to kill in case he lost his mate. Mate… Daken shook his head in disgust. He was no animal, he didn't think in such categories. He was better than all of them, smarter, dangerous, he could do whatever he wanted, when he wanted and who he wanted. He smirked and the smirk soon turned into a half-grin. Yes, he could have anyone he wanted. A look was usually enough and he had a girl or guy or both on each finger. He could choose who he wanted and no one could tie him down ever. It was he who made the rules, so who cared if that speedster died?!

As he looked into the room again and saw the pale man lying in bed he felt a pang to the stomach. He did. He cared. He couldn't deny this anymore. He didn't want and couldn't lose him… But Northstar was closer to death than life, his senses told him so. If he were a predator and the speedster his prey, he wouldn't even bother to attack him. He'd wait and let nature take its course. His dark eyes narrowed as Frost stepped next to him, _accidentally _brushing over his back. He only had to swing around. She wouldn't see the attack coming. If he was fast enough, and he always was, his claws would cut swiftly through her throat. She wouldn't even be able to make a noise…

"Hm…," she made and wrinkled her nose. "I thought Northstar and his toyboy had broken up? Well…looking at him they will break up soon anyway…" She shrugged and didn't notice how Daken's eyes narrowed to slits. With gritted teeth he extracted his claws a bit, but retracted them as their eyes met. He hated her smile, her scent, her looks,…her whole existence… "Now… Will you show me to your boss, Daken, or do you have anything else on mind that needs to be done first?"

"Yes… Killing you…," he muttered and she laughed.

"You're funny! Now show me to your boss, handsome," Emma demanded and began walking towards the door to their left. As he didn't follow, she turned around, confused. "Well…?"

He huffed and buried his hands in his pockets. He reminded himself to finally get a shirt… "As I said," Daken told her arrogantly, "I don't take orders." With that he entered the ICU and left her standing there.

"I'll tame you handsome. Mark my words…," Emma muttered and left the corridor, nose high up in her search for someone in charge. Her way led her past the rec-room in which Ororo was sitting with Elektra, Susan Storm and some others. While TJ was sitting on her lap and thumping through a book, Tommy was playing with Jamie, Nick and Ben on the ground. Emma watched the scene and overheard them discussing some funeral. Wondering who it was, her eyes fell on the children. "Well, the X-Men surely have too much free time on their hands…," she thought as Jamie suddenly looked at her and a jolt shot through her mind. Pained, she let out a brief shout that made everyone of the gathered group turn their heads and she grabbed hers in her hands. Surprised, Emma looked at the boy that was pointing at her while trying to get the attention of an adult.

"She mean, Aunty 'roro," the boy said and Ororo couldn't help but smile.

"How right you are, sweetheart," she said while looking at the blonde. "I see you finally woke up and look like your old bitchy self, Emma."

"Aren't we nice today, Storm?" Frost asked and crossed her arms. She wondered who that child was, could feel that he was a powerful telepath already. Doing the math, the child could only belong to two people… "Whose brat is it? Did no one teach him that it's rude to attack someone's mind as a telepath?"

"Well, I don't know, Emma, but I'm sure Jamie doesn't like another telepath probing his mind," Ororo returned the favor. "I just let the Professor know that you've awaken. He asks you to wait for him right there."

Emma looked around the room. If she was not mistaken the mansion had looked very different the last time she'd been in it. The walls didn't look wooden anymore, rather…metallic. "What did you do to your pretty mansion?" she asked rather snobbishly and raised an eyebrow.

Ororo gave her an annoyed look. "You don't watch a lot of TV, do you?" was all she said before she turned back to the group to further discuss the funeral. "I'm pretty sure that Bobby can do something about the snow."

"We don't have caskets…," Susan Storm said and almost didn't dare to say the word. "We can't just put them into some….bags…"

"We'll find a solution…," Ororo replied, her voice throaty. She still couldn't believe it. To her it seemed like minutes ago that she and Kitty had joked about Peter Parker getting glued to the fridge. And now… Sighing, she ran a hand over her face and shook her head. "It's like a nightmare…"

"Well if I had to live here, I'd be depressed too…," Emma commented and was still occupied with taken everything in. Her eyes fell on a man in his late 20s that came quickly closer and was looking right at her. Well, of course he was. Which man wouldn't? Except for Northstar that is…

"Emma, I didn't expect you to wake up so soon," Charles said and gave her a weak smile. "Shall we? I explain everything on the way." He beckoned her to follow him as he noticed her odd look. "Ah, I'm sorry. Some things happened while you were…gone," he told her. "But, yes I'm me, this is not a trick or joke. I'll explain everything. Do you mind?" he asked once more and she followed him slowly.

Elektra waited a moment until she was sure that the two telepaths were out of earshot. "Who was that?"

"Someone not worth being mentioned called Emma Frost," Ororo told her.

"Your relationship seems to be pretty icy…"

"You can say that. The Professor threw her out last time she was staying with us."

"May I ask why?" Susan asked.

"She was hitting on Logan. When he showed her the cold shoulder she manipulated us into believing that he assaulted her," Ororo told them the short version. "She can't be trusted." Her eyes fell on Jamie, who was being hugged by Tommy. "Even Jamie can already figure this out. Isn't that so, sweety?"

Nodding, Jamie looked back at her, still being hugged by Tommy. "She mean."

"I swear Logan will go into a fit. Jean too…," Ororo sighed and looked up when Hank walked past the door, obviously on his way to the ICU. Even if it was only for a short moment that she had seen her friend's face, she had been able to see the concern on his face. She only hoped that it didn't mean another death had occurred…

As Hank reached the ICU he was overwhelmed by the chilly air. It wasn't so much the room itself that oozed coldness, but the two men that were staring each other down. He greeted Narya, who looked very tired and was holding Northstar's hand, with a nod and took the chart before he began to check up on the vitals. He didn't like what he saw but tried to keep his face neutral. Daken, however, picked up on it due to his heightened senses and gave him a look.

"How's he doing, Hank?" Narya asked, clearly tired and gave him a hopeful look.

Hank sighed and scribbled some notes down before he put the chart away again. "Not good at all. His circulation is hardly keeping up anymore…"

"Which means?" Kyle asked and Hank met his eyes.

"That he needs a donation soon or he'll die," Daken summarized and glared at the man. "Isn't that so, McCoy?" he asked arrogantly and quite aggressively, whereupon Hank nodded. "Pyro isn't here. As far as I figured out he's on a mission, so who knows when he'll come back. Now explain again why you can't just take my blood or my father's!"

Hank narrowed his eyes at the way the feral was talking to him. "Jean-Paul has a very rare blood type, plus a healing factor on his own that works different from yours. By using your or your father's blood we'd risk a complete collapse, since what's remaining of his healing factor would attack yours or Logan's blood."

Daken looked at him in a neutral way. He had his arms crossed and was leaning against the wall. "So… As far as I remember my father donated a liver and blood to Summers once and my father's blood adapted to Summer's blood…"

"Scott doesn't have a healing factor…"

"No, but am I not right that a body, no matter if in possession of a healing factor or not, would attack blood cells that are not compatible with the host's body?" Daken asked and Hank began to frown. "So explain again why there's a problem to use my blood for example that adapts to another person's body and heals much faster than my father's…"

"I don't like your attitude, boy!" Hank growled and made Daken huff.

"And I am losing my patience here, old man," the feral gave back and both men seized each other up for a coffin. "Without a donation he'll die, right? The only person capable of donating isn't here and we don't know when he'll return, isn't that so? I know how a healing factor works, furball. I know that a healing factor is pretty much non-existing with that much damage done. So how about finally getting your paws to work? Because I can already assure you," Daken snarled and, with a predator-like walk, came slowly closer, his eyes staring into Hank's, "that you will have hell to pay, if you let him die!"

"Are you threatening me?" Hank snarled back and made a step forward, his teeth bared.

"No… I was rather thinking about hurting your wife and that bastard kid of yours," Daken said and, before Hank could aim for his throat, had his fist out and placed under Hank's chin. "Two claws unfortunately. The wrist-claw however will go straight to your brain…," he remarked and his eyes darkened. "Help him. Right. Now!"

Hank waited a moment and finally pushed Daken away. His face was a mask of anger and disgust. "I liked you more with your memory gone," he admitted and straightened his clothes. His eyes fell on Northstar, who had become even paler than before, then on the machines that were keeping him alive and lastly on Kyle and Narya, who both looked shock but hopeful at the same time. "If he dies, my boy…," Hank said through gritted teeth, "then this is entirely on you!"

"Get to work!" Daken ordered and held out his right arm.

"Sit down…," Hank demanded and prepared everything.

"Hold on…," Kyle interrupted and got up. "He can die for sure if that donation goes wrong, right?"

"Yes…," Hank said while he began to draw blood.

"Then you won't give him that!"

Daken glared at him. "Listen, fruitcake, and just stand there and look pretty," he growled at him. "He will die, too, if he doesn't receive a donation soon, even if he does it might already be too late."

"Are you a medic?!" Kyle snapped and came closer, his arms crossed.

"No, it's called heightened senses, which tell me pretty accurate how he is doing and I can assure you that he won't survive the next two hours without blood!" Daken replied through gritted teeth.

"You, asshole, are in no position to decide this!" the other man snapped at him, clearly angered. "I won't allow it!"

"Ohhh…" Daken nodded theatrically. "_You_ won't allow it, I see… Let me think…" He made a gesture and acted as if he was really thinking hard. "You can decide this because…?"

"I have been with him for almost 8 years, I love him and he was my husband. How long are you with him? A couple of weeks?! You don't deserve someone like him! Plus, you can't feel, you don't know what loving someone feels like or what caring for someone feels like. You, pretty boy, are just an empty shell!" Kyle vented and glared at Daken, who rewarded him with an arrogant smile, while his blood was filling a bag.  
"Just let me get this straight… The marriage didn't happen. _You_ left him because _you _can't deal with him being a mutant and _you _being a worthless, powerless homo sapien! And as far as I remember….he loves me very much," he said gleefully and his smirked widened. "At least he definitely never moaned your name every time we did it, darling. Hate to disappoint you."

"Are the two of you done?! This is an ICU and not a kindergarten!" Hank interrupted the fight and before Kyle could say something in return. Instead, the African-American huffed and left the room, clearly boiling with anger. Hank was only able to shake his head. "You my boy should really work on your empathy!"

"I lack it. Hate to disappoint you," Daken said and chose to ignore him. Instead, he turned his head in order to look at Northstar.

"Who would have thought…," Hank mocked in return and retreated after informing him that it would take an hour for the process to be done.

Narya looked at Daken for a long moment and the mutant, who felt her eyes upon him, finally turned to give her an annoyed look. "What?!"

"Why do you always push people away that actually care about you or try to be your friend?" she asked.

"You really want to know?" he mocked.

"Yes."

"Because I don't give a damn about anyone of you. If it was up to me all of you could rod somewhere," he said and smirked at her shocked look. "What? If you expected anything else you are quite dumb, sweetheart." He was taken aback though when Narya simply smiled. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to read her, but he had to give it to the woman… She was good in hiding her thoughts.

"You know what I think?" she said and got up, placing a kiss to Northstar's cold forehead before she went over to the door. "I think you simply don't know how to deal with people caring for you. So you get scared and push them away before they can actually realize that you are just afraid of being hurt or left again."

"You bore me…" He faked a yawn and looked away.

"And you can't fool me. You wouldn't have made such a scene just now, if that wasn't the case," she said and left him to glare at the door.

* * *

Nick Fury was standing at the window and looking outside. For the past hour he had listened to Black Widows explanations and had tried to find a solution to all this mess. "What about the helicarrier?" he finally asked and turned around.

"No idea." Natasha shrugged. "All I know is that Apocalypse men practically killed the US government. The whole East Coast is his and he is still replacing the leaders in the remaining states. It's only a matter of time before he strikes."

Fury sighed and shook his head. "How many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are in his hand?"

"You mean besides the men he killed and those that are still MIA?" Natasha asked. "I don't know… 65%? I don't know what happened to those that were with me. I guess they were killed." Fury's face remained unreadable. "So what is the plan? Attack?"

"How? We don't know where to start…"

"Excuse me?" she said and crossed her arms. "We've got the world's most powerful and most dangerous mutants here! There must be a way!"

"And still every attack resulted in death or failure. We need to plan this very carefully," he replied. "We only got one chance to kill Apocalypse. Just one!"

She threw her hands up in the air. "Then how about we're getting started?!"

"It's not that easy, Natasha…," Banner, who had remained silent up to now and was sitting on the sofa to Fury's right, said. "We've seen what Apocalypse is capable of. To get through to him alone is a task that needs careful planning. And don't forget about his riders…"

Fury raised his head. "He still has those?" he asked surprised and received a nod. "Do we know who?"

"The Death one looked suspiciously like Wolverine," Natasha said.

"No, Logan's here," Fury shook his head. "It must be one of those Devils that Sinister created."

"A mean creation if you ask me. That Death horseman can duplicate itself like Multiple Man. He is very dangerous…," Banner told him. "As far as we know Apocalypse always keeps him close by. Death is his personal guard next to a specific Deathlok."

"Blaze confirmed that this Deathlok is the leader of the Deathlok squadron," the readhead added. "Famine is Alex Summers aka Havok and Pestilence is Lorna Dane aka Polaris." She noticed the frown on Fury's face. "What?"

"Our information was that both of them died during the attack on the X-Mansion."

"I can assure you they are very much alive…"

Fury nodded. "Makes three. Leaves one. War?"

"Yours truly…," Banner stated barely audible and gave him a shy smile as Fury's eye met his. "Don't worry though, Natasha set my head straight again."

Fury looked at her.

"True. He's our old Bruce."

"I hope so…," Fury said. He looked outside of the window once more, his mind going through every possible scenario. "We'll wait until Cap regains consciousness. Then we'll start planning our next steps."

"Then we'll better hope he'll wake up soon. Because we are running out of time!" Black Widow said and left the room. She headed over to the ICU and entered the third room to the right where she looked at the figure in the bed before she sat down on the stool next to it. Hours went by and she had almost dozed off as the door opened and Bruce came in.

"How is the patient?"

Natasha shrugged and gave Barton a brief look. "How's the Captain?

"Healing," Banner said and checked up on the medical equipment. "Fury doesn't trust me…"

"Fury doesn't trust anyone…," Natasha replied and yawned. They kept on talking for a while until Bruce went to bed. She was about to get comfortable in the way to small stool as she heard Clint sighing. Surprised, she leant forward a bit. "You awake?"

"Hardly…," he muttered and forced himself to open his eyes a bit. It took him a moment to realize who was sitting next to him. "Tasha…"

"Banner said you need rest. So go on sleeping, Barton," she replied matter-of-factly and tried to keep her cool. Inside, she was glad that he had woken up.

A small smile became visible on Hawkeye's lips as he closed his eyes again. "Yeah… I'm glad to see you too, Nat…," he said and knew she was smiling too.

* * *

Tony had enough of it. Angrily, he mauled the iron of his suit, his mind completely elsewhere. It had been almost a week and Pepper was still completely ignoring him. Not to mention that he hated himself, hated the back and muscle pain he had gotten from this god forsaken sofa and pretty much hated everything around him right now. His mood was obviously bad enough that everyone stayed clear of him and even had done so during the funeral a couple of days ago. Just the thought of one of his best and longest friends dead at the hand of their worst enemy, made his mood drop even further below zero. As a door slid open, he didn't bother to look up. Instead, he gave the metal that wouldn't do as he wanted a harsh kick.

"It's not the metal fault that you're being an ass…"

This again made Tony look up with a glare. "Back from the nearly dead?" he asked Cap, who was leaning against the doorframe, still looking kind of pale. "And there my dream of seeing a Capsickle goes…"

"Seriously, Tony," Cap said in his usual Cap-knows-best-voice said and crossed his arms. "What were you thinking?!"

"Doing what? Moping?" Tony asked sarcastically and dropped the hammer to the ground, his eyes looking around for the next tool.

"Pepper! What were you thinking?"

"Don't know what you're talking about. Plus, it's none of your business."

"Which means you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

Tony rolled his eyes. Cap was being Cap again. "You were saying?" he mocked and went on working on his suit.

"I'd like to know what your problem is," Steve suddenly said right next to him and their eyes met. "You love Pepper more than anything else. You proposed to her, you kept on going on my nerves by telling me that you have to get the perfect ring for her and then you hurt her?"

"I did?"

"Could you stay serious for once?!" Cap gave his opposite an annoyed look.

"Just let me get this straight…," Tony said and moved around his suit, his eyes on Cap. "So you wake up, walk away from the ICU, run into Pepper and she immediately tells you….what?!"

"Actually Deadpool told me…"

"Dead…?!" Tony began and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "That's it. I'm gonna kill him. Jarvis? Note that down!"

"Done, sir," the AI confirmed. "May I ask how you intend to kill a mercenary with a healing factor?"

"Painful. Bloody and painful. Note that down too!"

"As you wish, sir."

"Tony?" Cap did a small wave with his hand. "Back to the topic!"

"What exactly did he tell you anyway?" Tony demanded to know and was leaning back against the table while he was staring at the blond.

"That Pepper is expecting your baby and that you are ignoring her, after telling her that you don't want a baby," Cap summarized matter-of-factly.

"I NEVER said I don't want a baby with her!" Tony snapped angrily.

"Then why is she so upset?!" Cap asked and wasn't intimidated the merest by Tony's glare. "She's hurt! Tony you screwed up once with her when you decided to use this Extremis virus on yourself, then you started drinking heavily when she left you and I need you sober and with a clear head! We are at war here!"

"Oh, and you think I don't know that?!" Tony snapped and moved over to him, not caring that the door wasn't closed at all and others could listen in. "Do you see me drinking? Am I drunk? Do I smell of alcohol?!"

Steve groaned. "You got it wrong. That's not what I meant. What I meant was…"

"…that I'm a loser? That I fucked up again? That Pepper deserves better than me?!" Tony listed and his opposite began to frown at him. Sighing, the brunette ran both hands over his face. The lack of sleep was really getting to him.

"Tony… What is bothering you?" Cap asked since he sensed that there was more to it than he understood right now. He stepped away from the door, not bothering to close it. "You hurt her, you keep away from her, but at the same time you say that you don't mind her being pregnant… Help me out here because I don't get it…"

"Me neither…," someone suddenly said behind them and both men turned just to notice Pepper standing in the doorway. "Hi Steve. How are you feeling?" she asked matter-of-factly and he shrugged.

"Okay. And you?"

"Fine," she replied and walked over to Tony to drop a file on his crowded desk. "From Fury." Before Tony could say anything she had turned back around and was heading for the door again.

"Hold it!" Cap said and took her by the arm, then blocked the door. "You'll stay here. Both of you and you'll talk!"

"No." The redhead shook her head.

"Yes! We are at war. The real war might start tomorrow, you might be dead in one hour, who knows. And then you'll regret not having settled this," he told her and Pepper looked away, her arms crossed. "You love each other! This is not only about the two of you anymore, so settle this!" he demanded and locked the door from the outside behind him. "You have one hour! I'll be back then," he let them know and left.

The former couple remained on the spot, Pepper facing the door, arms still crossed and Tony few meters behind her, at a loss of words and nervous as hell. "Pepper?"

"Save it, Mr. Stark!" was all she said and heard him sighing behind her.

"Pepper, I'm trying here, okay? Cut me some slack!" he begged and wished he hadn't because the glare she was giving him as soon as she had turned to face him was a match to Wolverine's. If not even worse…

"Cut _you _some slack?!" she snapped and came closer, which made him back off against the desk.

"Pepper…"

"I tell you that I'm pregnant, Tony, and you do not only snap at me, you ignore me and treat me like some of your cheap one night stands! You are the last person who deserves _cutting some slack_!" the redhead nearly shouted at him in anger and he quickly raised both hands in hope she would calm down again. "From all the things you did so far, Mr. Stark, this is really…"

He began to frown as she suddenly stopped talking and supported herself on the desk with closed eyes. It was then that he noticed she looked kind of paler than usual. "Pepper?"

"I'm fine, don't touch me!" she said and slapped his hand away but he refused to let go of her arm.

"You look close to fainting. Sit down!"

"I'm fine!"

"Sit. Down!" Tony demanded and finally pushed her gently down on a nearby stool, then went to get some water. "Here," he handed it to her and took her wrist to check up on her pulse, much to her dismay. "Your pulse is way too fast!"

"Oh really?" Pepper huffed and tore her arm away. "Might have something to do with you."

"Pepper…," he tried once more, but she would have none of it.

"Just save it, Tony!"

"Would you just let me explain?!"

"Explain what?" Pepper snapped. "You don't want a baby, I happen to be pregnant from you so you don't want anything to do with me. I got it!"

"I want this baby with you! What I don't want is to turn into my own father, who never told me that he loved me or liked me and who thought that putting it on a stupid video tape would make up for years of pushing me around like some meaningless thing! If Fury hadn't given me that box, I highly doubt I would have ever found out about that tape!" he snapped back, loudly and clearly angry. It earned him a speechless and shocked look from her. "And what I also don't want is to screw this up and to lose you and the baby because I suck at maintaining relationships, Pepper, and you know that. It's only a matter of time before I do something stupid again and you will leave for good. Or someone will come for you and the baby. I nearly lost you to the Mandarin. Something like this can happen again. What if I'm on a mission or not there to protect you then? Or what is with right now? We are at war here. Chances that we'll survive are slim. What if something happens to you? Or to me? Who's gonna protect you with Rhodey dead?" he asked and it took him a moment to realize that she was staring at him agape. "What is it? Do you need to throw up?" he quickly handed her a bucket. "Or a doctor? I can tear that door down easily!" he said and was about to head over to the door as she quickly reached for his hand and pulled him into a stop. "What is it?!"

"You're afraid…"

He tried to play it down. "Me? No!"

Pepper rolled her eyes and let go of his hand. "No, of course not…," she muttered and looked away. "You only just admitted it in one endless monologue, Tony. And it's okay. I'm scared too. I never had a child before and I know you well enough by now…"

He nodded before he came to realize something. "Hold on… So you are having doubts because of me?!"

"Of course I do. What if you don't want this child? What if someone kidnaps it? What if something goes wrong? Or what if you first decide you want it and then realize one day that you want out? Especially because I know you, Tony, I am having doubts." She noticed that he was looking at her completely speechless. "You know it's true!"

"I love you!"

"I know you do. But this is not about just you and me anymore. It's about you and me and a baby," she told him and was once more annoyed how he started fidgeting with a part of his suit. "Put it away, Tony, before I am going to punch you!"

He did, but not without starting to wildly gesticulate. "I know that!" he insisted and an uncomfortable silence spread between them. While Pepper looked away, Tony kept on looking at her. "Pepper…"

"What, Tony?" she asked without looking up and was surprised when he suddenly cupped her face to kiss her lovingly.

"Just to make sure you got it. I love you and I want this baby with you. And I'll do anything to protect what we have," he assured her and held her gaze, finally earning a smile from her.

"I'm just worried about everything with how things are at the moment…," she said and took his hand into hers, allowing him to pull her close.

"I think everyone of us is…" He sighed and kissed the side of her head, both of them looking up as the door was opened again and Cap peeking inside.

"Wow… So it actually worked?" he asked after seeing them arm in arm. "Damn, I'm good…"

"Go away, Capsickle!" Tony groaned and pressed a button on his notebook, which caused the door to close again.

"Hold on!" Pepper said after seeing it. "So you were able to open the door just by pressing a key all the time?!" she asked and received a sheepish grin from him. "Tony!"

* * *

Hank was occupied with scribbling notes down on his chart as his eyes fell on his patient. To his greatest surprise two very tired, incredibly blue eyes looked back at him. Hank almost let his chart fall. "My boy, that's a surprise…," he said in a hushed voice since Daken was still sleeping, his head resting on his arms that were supporting him on the sick bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Half dead…, drugged…, high…," Jean-Paul listed, his voice hoarse. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. His ears were ringing, he felt like being underwater for too long. "How long…?"

"Almost a week. You can thank your crazy boyfriend that you are still alive actually," Hank told him and Northstar frowned.

"Why…?"

"He blackmailed me into giving you a blood donation with his blood, even though there was a 90% chance that it would kill you for sure."

"Sounds like him…"

Hank nodded and reached out to touch the speedster's forehead. "I don't think you will be up and running so soon, my friend…" He looked at the man for a while. "You don't look good at all. As soon as you feel up for I'd like to check up on your weight loss. From your face alone I can tell you lost quite a lot."

"Fast metabolism… Can suck sometimes…," Northstar muttered and his eyes fluttered close. "Tired…"

"Then sleep," Hank said and patted Northstar's hand. He turned around and tended a file again as the machines suddenly began to beep warningly. "What the…" Hank headed quickly over to the bed again, his eyes scanning the screens for information.

"What's wrong?!" Daken, who had been roughly awaken by the beeping asked and looked at him alarmed.

"I have no idea. Do me a favor and get Moira and Jean. NOW!" Hand ordered and, while Daken ran out of the room, he put the comforter aside and began a cardiac massage. It appeared to him as an eternity before Daken was back, Moira and Jean right behind him.

"What happened?" his wife asked, but he shook his head.

"I don't know. One moment he was talking to me, then he said he was tired and I had barely turned around as he went into cardiac arrest. I already tried adrenaline, he is not responding," Hank told them while still doing CPR and watched how Moira set up the defibrillator.

"We need you to leave!" Jean told Daken and pushed him gently out of the room.

"No!"

"Please!" she demanded and he watched helplessly how the door went shut right in front of his face. Daken remained on the spot, eyes wide as he listened in to what was going on on the inside.

It was for Logan to nearly bump into his eldest son as he was on his way back to the gym. He frowned as the feral didn't respond or react to his question and simply watched him headed further down the corridor. "Kids these days…," Logan shrugged and had barely entered the gym as he heard Jean's voice speaking to him mentally.

"_Logan?"_

"What is it, darlin'?"

"_Did you see Akihiro?"_

"Yeah. Why?"

"_You need to find him before he does something stupid!"_

He frowned. So he hadn't been wrong in noticing that her voice sounded off. "Darlin', what happened?!" Logan asked but there was no immediate reply. "Jeannie?"

"_Jean-Paul is dead. He went into cardiac arrest all of a sudden. He didn't respond to any treatment…"_

"Damn it…," he cursed and set into a run, asking everyone that crossed his way if they had seen his son. In the end, he found him on the outside, far away from the hideout and staring at the ocean. "Son?" Logan asked and came carefully closer. He already noticed from afar that his son was trembling, the shoulders shaking while he was hugging himself. As their eyes met Logan grew seriously concerned. He had never seen this expression in the younger feral's eyes. His son seemed to be completely lost, confused and desperate.

"My chest hurts…," Daken croaked and was heaving deep breaths, his eyes having trouble to focus on anything at all. Same was the case for his usual so sharp mind. He couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate, couldn't grasp one tiny thought. His heartbeat wouldn't calm down either, his chest hurt like hell and he didn't understand what the hell was wrong with him. "Make it stop…," he begged and got even more confused as his father simply hugged him tight.

"It's normal t'feel that way after losing someone ya love, son," Logan explained and held him close. "I'm sorry…," was all he could say and didn't know what else he could say. He sucked at this… He couldn't tell for how long they were standing like this or what he should do. Jean or the Professor would be better at handling such a situation. After a long moment, Logan let go of his son and looked at him. Daken's demeanor hadn't changed one bit. "If ya need someone t'talk t'…," he began but his son kept on staring past him. "C'mon, let's go back inside…"

They had barely reached the inside again as Cap crossed their way. "I was looking for you, Logan!"

"Can it wait?"  
"Not really, no," the blond replied and frowned at the two ferals in confusion. "Fury said you have a sword that can kill those Devils for good?"

"Yeah. The Muramasa blade," Logan nodded and his eyes darted towards his son, who was still impassive. "Why?"

Cap crossed his arms over his chest. "We are making plans for an attack. So that sword is here. That's good."

"No, it ain't." Logan shook his head and received a confused look. "I hid it in Japan the last time I went there."

"Why?"

Logan glanced at Daken, who wasn't looking back at him. "In case he tried to kill me again…"

"Can you get it?" Cap asked. "We need it in case we need to act soon."

Logan thought about it. If he was honest to himself he didn't want to leave right now, couldn't in fact. Jean could need his help with Jake, he needed to be here in case of an attack, he didn't want to leave his children and, especially now, he wanted to be there for his eldest. "No… Not now." He shook his head.

"Logan… We need to act soon. Fury has some intel that Apocalypse is planning something soon. We need to be prepared. You could make that trip in a few hours with the jet!" Cap suggested and the feral heaved a deep breath.

"Fine. But yer gonna call me as soon as somethin' happens!" Logan demanded before he took his son by the arm. "'n yer comin' with me. Ain't gonna leave ya outta my sight for now."

Finally, Daken looked back at him, his dark eyes unreadable. "Why? Afraid I'm going to jump off that cliff?" he asked in an emotionless voice.

"Yeah," his father replied honestly. "Or that ya feelin' provoked 'n gonna kill someone." He turned back to Cap. "I'm gonna take the jet. Should be back in a couple of hours."

Cap nodded once. "Thanks. I'll let the others know. Be careful!" He had walked a few steps as he turned back around, slowly walking backwards. "And call in as soon as you're there!" he added before he went his way. Lost in thoughts he walked around a corner and bumped into someone shorter than him. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Cap said and, after he had regained his composer, thought his heart would stop beating. He stared at the blonde woman in front of him, completely forgetting to help her up. She had the same face, exactly the same face as…

"I see you're better, Cap," Bucky suddenly said behind him and gave him a pat. He looked at the blonde. "I see you already met Sharon Carter?"

"Nice to finally meet you, Captain!" the woman said and held out her hand for Cap to shake.

"Carter…?" Cap mumbled and was still staring at her.

"I think you can let go of her hand…," Bucky whispered into his ear.

"I'm sorry," Cap said and withdrew his hand. "It's just… You remind me of someone special…"

"Peggy Carter perhaps?" Sharon asked and crossed her arms, smiling as she noticed the surprise in the legends eyes. "She's my aunt."

"Aunt…," he muttered and all of a sudden wanted to ask so many questions, but couldn't bring himself to do so. Rendered speechless he kept staring at her, saw that she was speaking but was too lost in his thoughts. It wasn't before Bucky elbowed him that he awoke from his stupor.

"Love at first sight?"

"What?"

Bucky chuckled. "Well, I can tell you a secret," he said and put an arm around his best friend's shoulder, leading him away, "She's hot and she's totally taken with you. So if you want an advice… Go for it!"

Cap huffed. "Don't be ridiculous…"

"Why not?"

"We've got our hands full with other things, Bucky."

The man shrugged. "So? Even Captain America needs some love," Bucky replied. "What's the status on Fury's plan? Update me on it!"

* * *

If Logan had to describe his mood, then _pissed _would be the biggest understatement ever. After Daken and he had left Genosha they had headed right for Jasmine Falls. Ken, however, had told him that strange men and a man in silver samurai armor had come and taken the sword. Logan of course knew immediately who was behind it. So Daken and he, after paying their respects to Itsu they had headed for Tokyo and tracked down Harada and his lot. To his greatest surprise, but if Logan was honest to himself he wasn't surprised at all, Harada and his gang knew Daken – or kuroi ryu, the black dragon as they called him. Of course Harada didn't want to give the sword back voluntarily, so Logan was inclined to cut off Harada's remaining hand. Daken, however, was faster and Logan was once more surprised how violent and cod his son could actually be. Or should he say _was_? After cutting through Harada's men like paper and then threatening Harada himself, the Silver Samurai had given up the sword in the end. Logan wondered what his son had done that the man was so afraid of him…

The following task had been easy actually. Board the jet, fly back home. The only problem was: Daken had chosen to disappear somewhere in Tokyo and Logan was on his third day trying to locate his son. The fact that Cap and Jean had called in the third time already didn't help to calm his nerves either. So here he was, sitting in the hidden jet, rubbing his tired eyes. "I don't know where he's, Jeannie…," he sighed. "No one saw him 'n trust me…someone like Akihiro gets noticed… How are things by ya?"

"I think you need to see for yourself."

"That bad?"

"No… But…" The redhead sighed heavily and ran a hand through her long hair. "It's just very confusing how something like it is even possible…"

"Hm… Kids are fine?" he asked and leaned back against the headboard.

"Yes. Jake even played with Jamie and the gang today." She gave him a tired smile. "What time is it by you?"

Logan looked aside. "2 a.m. I'm gonna head out soon. I need t'check some clubs. Maybe he's in one."

"Do you think…he did something stupid?" Jean asked and heard him sighing.

"Knowin' him and judgin' from the way he acted… Yeah," he replied.

"Fury thinks Apocalypse will act soon…."

"I'll try t'find him tonight. Love ya!"

"I love you too. Be safe!" she said and the screen went black.

Getting up, Logan got his leather jacket and headed out. The colorful lights of Tokyo almost make it appear to be day as he walked down the streets. Once more he asked people if they had seen his son, went to clubs and took a look around but in vain. He couldn't find Daken at all, knew the man could disappear easily without leaving a trace. Maybe he was already in Europe?

After he had walked through several back allies he found himself in front of a club. Logan's eyes looked at the sign and considered what to do. His gut feeling told him to go inside, his mind told him to go past it. He knew exactly what kind of club this was. Everyone who lived in this area did. He was sure of that. In the end, he walked up to the entrance, spoke some Japanese with the bouncers and was sure they only let him in because he was fluent. Inside, however, he wished he had just stayed outside. The noise and scents were completely overwhelming him. Ignoring them as good as he could, he tried to do the same with all the people, especially those that threw offers at him. Instead, he demanded to know if they had seen his son and it wasn't before he was about to leave again that a guy pointed at the far back, to a hallway with seedy rooms. Logan had to breathe through his mouth in order to not go nuts with all the scents around him and tried his best to be deaf as he headed down the hallway and towards the door the man had pointed at. He braced himself for whatever his son was doing behind it but didn't expect at all what he was actually seeing.

"Oh look, big daddy is here!" Daken snickered and took another long sip out of a bottle that smelled like illegal Everclear to Logan. The older feral watched how his son gave the too young looking woman in front of him a push, uncaring about being half naked and also not paying attention at all to the man and woman, who were both literally all over him. "Came to spank me?"

"Get dressed. Now!" Logan growled and his glare was enough to send the two women and the guy running for their lives.

"Great… You are a such a party pooper…," Daken sulked and emptied the bottle before he threw it to the ground.

"Kid… Don't make me really spank ya!"

"You'd like that, hm?" his son returned the favor and snickered as he tried to get up without stumbling.

Logan watched how he fumbled with his zipper and belt, having trouble closing both. Sighing in annoyance, he finally went over, did it for his son and threw this one's jacket at him. "Yer gonna follow me t'the jet 'n then we gonna head back home!"

"No!"

"No?!"

"Kaeranai wa!" Daken snapped and pushed his hand away before he headed, or rather stumbled out of the room and down the hallway.

"Mate!" Logan called after him in Japanese and went after his son, who was ignoring him on purpose. "I said wait!" he said and reached out to grab his son's shoulder in order to turn him around. It was then that he finally noticed what exactly was bothering. However, before he could asked he was flanked by two bouncers.

"Warui tokoro ga aru ka?" the bouncer to his right asked and had his arms crossed.

Logan wanted to laugh at that tiny guy who desperately tried to make himself bigger by changing his stance. "Okoraseru!" he warned both of them and slapped their hands away. "I said piss off! There ain't a problem here!"

Daken smirked and leant his arm on the bouncer to his right. "Boku no otousan da!" He snickered at the looks he received. "Hontou ni!" he added and turned around to leave, heard how Logan shouldered the bouncers out of the way and felt a hand roughly grabbing his neck. Soon afterwards he was dragged out of the club, into an alley and pushed against a wall.

"What did ya take?" his father snarled at him, the glare something others might call intimidating.

"Nani?"

"Don't ya _what_ me, kid! Yer pupils are dilated as fuck, so which drug did ya take?" Logan roared and felt the strong urge to punch Daken, who was still giving him the same smug smirk and acted completely innocent.

"I don't know. But it's great. You should try it," Daken said and his head banged against the wall as Logan slapped him hard. "FUCK YOU!"

Logan refused to loosen his grip. "We're goin' home!" was all he said but Daken fought against his grip. "Yamero!"

"IKASETE!" Daken barked at him but was too drunk and drugged that he could fight off his father for real.

"I won't let go, yer comin' back home with me. I spent three fuckin' days tryin' t'find ya!"

"I don't give a shit!"

"Right. Back t'base 1, huh? Jean-Paul'd be ashamed of ya!" Logan said and saw something flicker in the dark pools that were his son's eyes at the moment.

"I don't give a fuck about him!"

"Sure," he nodded and kept on dragging his son further to the jet where he secured him. "That's why yer miserable, that's why ya ran off, fucked around, got wasted 'n look like junkie that needs his next fix. Who do ya wanna kid, son?"

"Go fuck yourself, Logan," Daken muttered and looked away.

"Ain't we sophisticated?" Logan mocked and took his seat next to Daken and started the jet. "Ya can come 'n talk t'me anytime. Why can't ya just admit that ya can't handle losin' him?! Why act all childish and immature?" he asked when they were up in the air but his son chose to ignore him. "Fine, go on sulkin' then."

As they arrived back at Genosha and after the jet had landed, Logan took his son again and dragged him out of the hangar and tracked down the Professor's scent. He had a hard time ignoring the curses, threats and badmouthing by his son, who was obviously determined in giving him hell. It didn't take long for him to find the Professor, who was holding a meeting in his office. "Do we have holdin' cells here, Chuck?" Logan asked immediately and without greeting them, still struggling to keep Daken still. "Kid needs t'calm that hothead of his."

Charles stared at them for a moment, the whole room silent and occupied with looking at the fuming feral. "Uhm, yes we do, but, Logan…"

"Where?"

"In the basement," Charles replied whereupon Logan nodded and began to drag Daken out of the room again. "Logan, it would be wise to listen to what I need to…"

"Later!"

"Well, that went well…," Tony said after both ferals had left the room. "And damn… Even I never looked that wasted."

"That's because you've never seen yourself," Clint mocked and Black Widow next to him tried to hide her smile. He looked up when the door was opened again and watched how Logan entered the room.

"So, what's up, Chuck?" he asked and crossed his arms.

"Maybe Akihiro should have heard it too, but well…," Charles said and pointed behind him to the window. Cocking an eyebrow, Logan went over to see what the man meant. He saw Reed Richards and Banner on the outside, dressed in thick jackets and standing in the snow. He turned to give Charles a questioning look. The telepath got up and took a look himself. "Oh… Well obviously he's gone for the moment, but…," he began as he saw how the snow got kicked up out of nowhere. "There he is!"

"Who?" Logan grunted and looked back to Reed and Banner, just to see a third person suddenly standing there and talking to them. He thought his jaw would drop. "How?"

"It's complicated. But let me tell him that you're back," Charles offered and touched his temple, concentrating on the man, who raised his head and looked into their direction. It only took a second and he was standing next to them. "Maybe you want to explain the situation, Jean-Paul?"

"Explain what? That you put me into a fucking freezer?!" the French-Canadian asked and wiped the snow off his shoulders. "You're back?"

"Ya too… Still how? Thought ya were dead?" Logan asked and looked at the speedster from all sides.

"Oh, he was," Hank, who had just entered and witnessed the last part of the conversation said. "And I actually told him to take it easy. I need to be sure that…"  
"I feel fine. I told you that I never felt that great before in my life! So no need to stay in bed and get bored," Jean-Paul waved off.

"Again… HOW?!" Logan demanded to know. Hank cleared his throat. "No medical mumbo-jumbo, Furball!"

"Well… You might remember that your healing factor healed Scott after he needed a liver and was also alive in Jean for a good while after you donated blood."

"Yeah, so? Last thin' I remember is that ya told us Akihiro couldn't donate blood coz his blood type was too different from JP's."

"Yes, and it is," Hank nodded. "Jean-Paul's vitals were not good at all when he woke up briefly. Akihiro's donation didn't do any good. At least that's what we thought. Jean-Paul's blood type was 0, now it's D+."

Logan was still cocking an eyebrow at him. "So it changed?"

"Yes. Jean, Moira, Bruce, Richards and I did several tests. Jean-Paul is perfectly fine. His vitals and body have never been better and healthier. So our conclusion is that his wounds were too severe for Akihiro's blood to heal them completely. Instead his blood destroyed Jean-Paul's blood cells, which caused the cardiac arrest. To make it easier for you to understand, and without any medical _mumbo-jumbo_ as you put it, a body's reaction to a wrong blood type is severe. It's like poison. So we think that Akihiro's blood type overwrote Jean-Paul's whole system."

Logan gave the speedster a critical look. "'n this won't have any further consequences?"

Hank shrugged. "That we don't know yet. And that's also the reason why I told him to stay in bed and take it easy, instead of… What were you actually doing on the outside?!"

"They wanted to test how long I need to run around the world," Jean-Paul said matter-of-factly before he looked around the room. "Where's Hiro?!"

"Holdin' cell…," Logan grunted.

"Pourquoi?!"

"Ya don't wanna know…" Since the speedster was glaring at him expectantly, he sighed and shrugged in the end. "Fine, but ya won't like it. We went t'Japan for a mission, he disappeared, I was lookin' for him for three days just t'find him in a… Let's call it club… Partyin', drinkin' 'n no idea which drug he used. He was completely wasted 'n still is."

Jean-Paul huffed. "With partying you mean fucking around!" he said. He just knew.

"Don't know what he did before I found him… When I did those two guys 'n that girl still had their clothes on." Logan shrugged and it was easy for him to read the speedsters face. "He thought he lost ya for good. That's why the kid did what he did."

"Oh, and I'm supposed to feel better now?!"

"No."

"Two guys and a girl? He sure knows show to party!" Tony commented and quickly raised both hands as the French Canadian shot him another glare. "But yeah, it's wrong. Totally wrong!" he quickly added just to watch how Northstar aimed for the door.

"Where yer goin'?" Logan asked.

"Hopefully to bed and staying there…," Hank sighed.

"Hate to disappoint you," Jean-Paul said and went straight for the holding cells, where he found Daken staring at the wall, sulking. Since the feral did not turn into his direction he guessed that Daken was ignoring whoever came into the room. "Proud of yourself?" he asked and Daken's head jerked aside as if he had been hit by lightning. "Yes, still alive and really, really mad at you. What the hell were you thinking?!"

Logan, who had entered the room too was listening to Jean-Paul lecturing him and Daken remaining unresponsive. He had to give the French-Canadian that he knew exactly what he was saying. However, Jean-Paul was far from being stupid. He just hoped his son would care only a bit. In his drugged stage, Logan guessed, he didn't give a fuck what Jean-Paul was telling him. After the speedster was done, Logan waited for Daken to reply.

"You don't have to say anything to this mess, do you?" Northstar asked and crossed his arms, clearly angered.

"I want out," Daken nodded at Logan. "I'm sick of being treated like a child."

"Then don't act like one!" Jean-Paul said before Logan even had the chance. He cocked an eyebrow at the speedster as he suddenly heard Jean's voice in his head.

"_JP wants me to tell you that he fears Akihiro will be vengeful if we leave him in the holding cell over night. I think I must agree. I'll keep an eye on him."_

"Ya can't read his mind if he has his barriers up, darlin'," Logan replied mentally.

"_He's still pretty wasted, Logan. It's very easy for me to read his mind right now."_

"That's the reason why I want him locked up. There's no guarantee for what he'll do if someone provokes him…"

"_He'll behave. Jean-Paul gave me his word that he'll take care of him. Let Akihiro out, Logan. The consequences will be far more severe if he stays locked up."_

"Don't tell me ya haven't been warned!" Logan grunted and opened the cell, but not without glaring at his son. "Yer getting' a chance here. Screw up, provoke or hurt anyone 'n yer back in that cell!" he warned him but Daken huffed.

"Zip it!" Northstar snapped before the feral could reply and dragged him out of the room and into theirs. "Shower! You stink," he said and gave him a push into the direction of the bathroom. Fuming, he watched how Daken began to slowly pick clothes. "You didn't tell me… Was it worth it?"

"What?" the feral muttered.

"Fucking around?" Jean-Paul snapped aloud and noticed how Daken grabbed his temple. "Hope that headache hurts like hell!"

"I didn't fuck around."

"Sure. Two guys and a girl, drunk and drugged. You might think the others are stupid, but I'm not!"

"And I had my clothes on, so did they. Just because my father thinks it doesn't make it true!" Daken snapped back angered.

"It's bad enough that you sank that low at all. I believed you finally learned something, but you're still acting like a plotte," Jean-Paul snapped back and aimed for the door.

"What's a plotte?!" Daken asked, butchering the Québecois on purpose.

"A slut!"

Narrowing his eyes, the feral clenched his fists. "If you hadn't left me, this wouldn't have happened anyway! You broke your promise!" he barked, but made his opposite merely smile.

"You're being ridiculous, Hiro. You know perfectly well that I wouldn't have left you, if I hadn't been mortally injured. I'm only still alive because of your blood donation, so stop blaming others for your screw up!" the speedster said. "You can have the bed. I sleep on the couch," he added before he left. He had barely walked a few steps as something shattered against the wall in their room.

* * *

Cap and Logan were both studying the files in front of them that Fury had gotten his hands on with the help of Tony and Jarvis. "So what do you think?"

Logan exchanged a look with Cap. "If he's really there at that time we should strike," the blond suggested. "It might be our only chance to get close to him. It would be wise to have several teams…"

"Yeah," Logan nodded. "The more we have, the higher our chance."

"Then we should get ready, don't you think?" Fury asked. "We already wasted enough time. Apocalypse is supposed to be at the scene in less than 3 hours."

"We might need the help of the Brotherhood…," Cap said.

"Hate t'admit it, but Steve's right…" Logan crossed his arms. "I can try talkin' t'Scott… However, there's no guarantee he'll help us."

"I'll talk to my team and the FF in the meantime. Let's meet again in one hour. If we do this, we need to hurry up!" Cap went for the door, followed by Logan, who headed straight for Remy's and Scott's room. He knocked and waited. It didn't take long and the door opened. The moment Scott saw him he wanted to close the door again, but Logan pushed it open. "We need t'talk!" he said and went inside.

"There's nothing to talk about. Leave!" Scott replied and held the door open. "We're done, as you so nicely put it."

"How about listenin' first?" Logan growled. "Apocalypse will be in New York in three hours. We have the exact location 'n time. Tell yer team about it. It's now or never." With that being said he aimed for the door again.

"Why should I help you, Logan?" he heard Scott asking and stopped.

"Because yer an X-Men, Slim! No one of us is more an X-Men like ya, 'n ya know that! Yer not a Brotherhood member. Yer angry 'n ya want revenge! I understand that better than anyone else. We might not be getting' another chance of hittin' him 'n I need ya on this!" Logan said and Scott looked at him thoughtfully. "Magneto only wants ya on his team coz he's tryin' t'get out on top. 'n let me tell ya this…" He came closer. "In a war like this only those that stick together will come out on top. Not someone like Magneto who favors his own agenda 'n his own people only. Those will fall. We're in this together 'n need t'stick together more than ever. So if yer in it, put on this 'n meet us in one hour in the hangar. The decision's yers!" he said and put a pile of clothes into Scott's hands before he left.

Thoughtfully, Scott unfolded the bundle and realized that it was his X-Men uniform…

* * *

He'd been sitting on the ground for about an hour now, doing nothing except for staring at the sleeping man on the couch. His mind was clear enough again by now that he was actually able to think about what's been done and said, and he hated himself for not being able to realize that it wasn't the others that were wrong, but him. Then again, he wasn't dumb. Far from it. He wasn't stupid enough to risk the only thing that actually held a value for him. Even if that meant admitting that he had been wrong, which cost him a lot to even admit it at all. In thoughts Daken reached carefully out and caressed Northstar's cheek, his mind trying to find a way to make things right again. The apology and actions had to come from him, he was well aware of that, and this, too, made his inner narcissist boil with anger. However, he knew that the consequences of behaving like he wanted to would make things worse. Jean-Paul was not like the others he had met and tried to bind to him. He was equally stubborn, arrogant and proud. His perfect match and opposite. Something he had been looking for too long to even remotely risking losing him for good. Especially not to that Kyle. But he didn't think like normal people did. He couldn't think like them. So what was he supposed to do in order to make things right?

Thoughtfully, he withdrew his hand and simply stared at the man for a long moment. From afar he could hear his father and Cap discussing procedures with other members of the team. Even Magneto's voice echoed in Daken's sensitive ears as he was arguing with Charles about whatever mission they were about to go to. It took a while before Magneto named 6 mutants that he wanted to join the strike-team, Pyro and Juggernaut include. Of course, Daken thought, he wouldn't send that Frost-bitch. It was no secret to him at all that buckethead and she were sharing a bed. He was surprised though that Cap was to stay here and his father went with the team in the end. From the loud footsteps and many voices, Daken figured that it was a rather large strike-team that was sent off to kill Apocalypse.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here…," a hushed voice suddenly said to his left and made him startle.

His eyes darted into the direction of the female and identified her immediately. That second telepath that had been rescued from Sinister's lab. What was here name again…? Beggy?

Bratty? "Betsy, right?" he asked and she gave him that odd smile again that had already been stuck to her face the first time they had run into each other and seemed to be glued to her lips ever since. How many days ago had that been anyway? He couldn't tell.

"You look lonely… Everything alright?" she asked and came closer a bit.

"I'd rather be alone," he dropped the hint and hoped she would just leave. She was pretty, yes, had a nice body, yes, and two rather big arguments, but he couldn't care less. "Now!"

"Well, if you ever change your mind…," she shrugged and winked at him, swaying her hips on purpose on her way out.

Rolling his eyes, he ran a hand through his hair, just for his eyes to find their purpose again. For how long was he already siting here…?! Carefully, he reached out and took the unused pillow, putting it neatly on the floor right next to the couch. He would be freezing but he couldn't care less right now. Not knowing what he should do, he gave in to the urge and kissed Northstar lightly on the lips, lingering there for a moment and taking the man's scent it. "Someone like you can really make things all right for me… I'm sorry…," he whispered, knowing that was true and maybe one of the few honest words he had ever said. Feeling tired, he lay down on the ground and curled up.

"And you needed almost two hours to tell me that?" Jean-Paul asked tiredly and Daken's head jerked aside.

"For how…"

"…long? Since you entered. I can't sleep when you're not next to me…" He ran a hand over his face and made room. "Come up here, it's fucking cold," he muttered with closed eyes and soon felt a warm body snuggling up to him. He hugged the feral back, trying to get comfortable in the limited space. He was too tired to go to their bed right now. "I'm still mad at you. If I ever find out you were fucking someone behind my back, I'll…"

"I didn't!" Daken insisted.

"I hope so…," Jean-Paul replied. "And if I ever catch you with drugs, I'm gone faster than even your senses can tell you. Bonne nuit."

* * *

After the jet had landed the group had immediately split and begun to search the area. Tony, who was sitting next to Cap and Fury were sitting in front of a screen and were intently following the mission. "According to the satellite Jarvis hacked in you are close," Tony said and typed away on his keyboard, whereas Cap's eyes darted to the list of the team members from time to time, which showed their status. Up to now everyone was alive and well. He hoped it stayed this way. "What about ground patrols?"

"Can't see any. Which is weird…," Bucky said in a hushed voice and, weapon ready, walked through the deserted streets of New York, followed by Colossus, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic and The Thing. He reached for his earpiece and listened to the voice on the other end. "The Brotherhood said there's suspicious movement in Central Park. We're moving that way. Logan, do you copy?"

"Yeah. Cyke, Kurt 'n I are still searchin' the harbor. We'll join ya as soon as we're done. Be careful!" they heard Logan replying.

"Any new satellite images, Tony?" Mr. Fantastic asked.

"Working on it," the Avengers replied and waited for Jarvis to be done. "Jarvis, what do you have?"

"The target is at Central Park, sir. I suggest taking precautions, sir!"

"We'll do."

"Okay, strike teams alpha, beta, charlie, delta, listen up!" Fury said into the microphone for everyone to hear. "The target is at Central Park. We got confirmation via satellite images. Take any precaution and safety measures possible!" He waited for confirmation of each team.

"Okay, the show is on," Tony said and clapped his hands together. Leaning back, he watched the 4 camera-screens of each team member that showed what happened on the other end.

"We see him," Pyro suddenly said.

"Can you confirm that it is Apocalypse?" Cap asked and waited anxiously.

"Yeah. That's why I said _we see him_!" Pyro mocked as the cameras went dead all of a sudden.

"What's wrong?!"

"We lost the damn signal," Tony cursed and started working.

"Team alpha, do you copy?" Fury asked, then waited, then asked the next team. "The lines are dead too!"

"I know. As I said, we lost the signal. It's hard enough to get around their stupid blocks," Tony told him and typed away on his keyboard, but cursed. "It's the satellite. It's out of reach."

"Which means?" Cap asked.

"That the teams are blind and we won't know what's going on…," Fury cursed and threw his earpiece on the table. "Damn it!"

* * *

Daken narrowed his eyes as he was busy preparing some soup and saw a movement to his left that he definitely didn't want to see in the kitchen. "Go back!" he hissed but Jean-Paul sat slowly down on one of the stools and supported his head with his hand. "You are supposed to stay in bed!"

"I'm fine," the speedster replied and was rewarded with a glare. "Hiro… I'm in this body, not Hank!"

"I don't care!"

"But I do…," Jean-Paul yawned and stretched, his hand wandering to the pants he was wearing. "Can't believe your skinny jeans sit loose on me…," he muttered and pulled them up a bit.

"That's because you've gotten skinny…," Narya said and shrugged after he gave her a look. "It's true. Just look at your more than prominent cheekbones. How much weight did you actually lose? 22 pounds? You could be Jared Leto's twin…"

"That would mean I look damn hot. Merci, chérie… And almost 22… Are they still not back?" he asked and received a shake of Pepper's head. His eyes broke eye contact and nodded at the steaming pot to his right, which had the fullest attention of the feral. "What's this?" he asked.

"Miso-Soup…," Daken grunted and went on stirring the soup, not caring that he was being watched by more than just his lover. He heard how the speedster got up and soon felt the man's arms around his waist, then a head resting on his shoulder.

"For me?" Northstar asked and leant against the feral.  
"Only if you go back to bed…"

"I'm fine.…," the speedster sighed in annoyance and was once more rewarded with a glare. He rolled his eyes. "Can we agree on the sofa?"

"No."

"C'mon…"

"No… Hank told me you need to take it easy, so you'll take it easy!" Daken replied and crossed his arms, eyes still seizing his opposite up for a coffin. He looked at the man's face, which was still way too slender for his liking. The high cheekbones stood out, but didn't distract him too much from the button nose, sensual mouth and those enormous blue floating eyes that were surrounded by thick, dark lashes. The speedster was still attractive and handsome as hell. Well, not as beautiful as he was, but the man came close…

In the end, Northstar shrugged and moved over to the door. "I'm on the sofa in case you're looking for me, love."

"Bed!" Daken snapped.

"Sofa!" Jean-Paul insisted and left.

"It's so not obvious who's in charge in your relationship," Tony smirked and Daken turned to stare him down.

"Anthony Edward Stark, go back to bed or I'll spank you!" he said in an almost perfect copy of Pepper's voice and Tony's jaw dropped a tad. "You were saying?" he mocked and took the plate with the soup and a bottle of water.

"Jerk! I was saying jerk!" Tony sulked and crossed his arms in defense. "I should check up on that word in a dictionary. I bet there is a picture of you next to it…"

"Better look up _pantywaist_," Daken replied.

"Why? Is there also a picture of you next to it?" Tony asked, smirking.

"Yeah, while I'm pointing at you from behind!" The feral winked arrogantly and headed over to the door.

Tony faked a laugh. "A girl shouldn't let her husband wait for the food. So better hurry up!" he returned the favor and Daken turned to look at him.

"You cooked for Cap? That's so sweet of you, Tony!"

Before Tony could reply the feral had left. "Don't bother. Even you can't win against him. He always has the final say," Johnny told him and laughed, but didn't see how Tony's eyes were now on him.

"Well, you should know with your big crush on him, don't you?"

Johnny fell silent. "What?! Why does everyone say that?!" he demanded to know.

"Because it's true! Everyone can see those big pink hearts fluttering around your head the moment you see him," Deadpool commented on the situation and nodded. "But hey, I can totally understand you. Princess is pretty and eye candy and everyone has fantasies that…"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Johnny asked and gave him an incredulous look.

"Your fantasies, idiot!" Deadpool sighed and shook his head. "Don't tell me I actually have to say it out loud. Well, I'll do it anyway, you don't have to beg for me to do it! Everyone knows already anyway, so no harm done, right?"

"Wrong!"

"See? Told you I was right!"

"No?!"

"Just drop the soap in the shower!" Deadpool suggested. "Oh, but not when the speedster is around. I heard he's got one nasty punch!"

"What?!" Johnny asked, agape.

The merch sighed aloud. "Fine, maybe you can try it with the speedster around, I dunno what their kinks are, but I'd recommend waiting until you catch Princess alone, okay? Just listen to me!"

"You…are fucking crazy!" Johnny hopped off his stool and headed for the door. "Seriously, I'm not into guys!"

Deadpool tapped his covered mouth with one finger. "Then ask the Snicktling to get a sex change. Is that how you thank people for trying to help you? You are seriously a case for Dr. Phil, you know that? Or Oprah. Better try Oprah! Or Ellen, whatever." He threw his hands in the air and left the room, passing by the living room where he stopped and entered. "Yo, Snicktling!"

"Go away!" Daken growled and tried to concentrate on the book in his hand while the speedster was dozing with his head on his lap.

"Thanks, but I let myself in," Deadpool waved off and ignored the glare. "Listen, I don't know what you are thinking breaking this poor guy's heart, but, hey, how about showing some sympathy for a chance before poor Johnny actually goes online to buy a ticket for Oprah, huh?" he asked and waited for Daken's face to make the tiniest movement, but it didn't. "Okay, fine, how about a threesome then? Just show him some love!"

"Some love, you say?" Daken asked and Deadpool nodded. "How about I show you some love by sticking my claws up your ass. I said !"

"Jeez, anger issues are in your genes, huh? That's what you get for trying to be helpful. Fine. Whatever. Break his heart, stomp on it and don't expect him to drop the soap! Say yo nara!" Deadpool waved his hand, uncaring that he had just butchered the feral's native tongue and left.

"That guy is annoying as shit…"

"Better tell me what's always with you and that Storm guy…," Northstar muttered and rolled on his back so that he could look up at the feral. "Something I should know about?!"

"I'm a sweetheart and everyone loves me. Can't help it. I make friends everywhere I go…," Daken replied nonchalantly and the speedster only rolled his eyes before he curled up again to go on dozing.

His plan was roughly interrupted by the channel that was running in the background switching to the news all of a sudden.

"_We interrupt the program to report about the latest happenings on the east coast of the United States of America. As our satellites have shown…"_

Frowning, Jean-Paul sat up a bit and listened to what the anchorwoman was saying. His eyes darted briefly aside. Daken, too, was staring at the TV, his face looking thoughtful. "Professor, I think you should see this…," the speedster muttered and it didn't take long for the room to fill with the remaining people.

"_I'm sorry for the technical problems. However, we now have the satellite images ready!"_ the anchorwoman said and the station suddenly showed satellite images from Central Park, New York. _"As you can see here the self-proclaimed president of Utopia, Apocalypse, who by now reigns over half of the United States, is standing right in the middle of Central Park. Our experts identified members of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Avengers and even the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants throughout the city, obviously planning an attack on Apocalypse. As you can see next, they surrounded Apocalypse, but…,"_ the woman shook her head and looked at her colleague. _"Tom, what happened here?"_

"_I don't know, Kim, but it seems that…" _He was staring at the screen in front of him as the station repeated the video. _"It seems that Apocalypse glowed and then a massive ray of light spread throughout New York City. I… I don't know what happened there afterwards. We are still waiting for the follow-up images, however, there seems to be a problem with the satellite at the moment."_

"What do you think happened there?" Northstar asked into the round while they were waiting for the images and listened to Tom and Kim discussing and analyzing what had happened.

"I don't know. It seemed to be a strong attack mad out of light. Perhaps like your powers?" Charles suggested.

"No, that didn't look like the repulsor technique," Tony disagreed. "That one goes into one direction only. This attack here spread like a wave. And it must have been damn strong considering the satellite has problems."

"Don't we have an active connection to the teams?!" Daken asked.

"It went dead. There was no way of getting any images. I tried all night long," Tony shook his head and his eyes found the screen again. "Obviously they solved the problem."

"_We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but there was a problem with the connection to the satellites. However, our technicians solved the problem and we can now see the aftermath of the, what seemed to be an attack in New York City," _the anchorwoman said and looked at the screen in front of her expectantly. As soon as the images became visible a gasp escaped her lips and her breath caught in her throat. _"Oh my… D…do you see this, Tom?"_

"_I sure am… But I can't believe what I'm seeing here right now, Kim," _he replied. _"This… What you are about to see… I can't describe it in words."_

"How about just putting it on, damn it?!" Daken said and became impatient.

"_See for yourselves. We are still waiting for confirmation."_

"Oh my…," Pepper gasped as the images finally became visible for them too and she thought she was dreaming. New York under Apocalypse's reign had already been turned into a living hell, but what she was seeing now… Her hand automatically found Tony's, who pulled her closer with his free arm. "What did he do?!"

"He wiped out the city…," Charles stated matter-of-factly and exchanged a look with Erik, who was still standing next to Emma Frost. "Why would he do that all of a sudden?!"

"He didn't wipe out the city just for the sake of it. He wiped out the majority of our team. He doesn't care about his own soldiers or the few mutants that were still living in that city. He wanted to hit us," Daken said.

"And you know that because?" Erik asked and received a glare.

"Because I would have done the same, if I were him. _Think as your enemy and you are three steps ahead of him_!" the feral cited what Romulus had taught him.

"If what you say is true, Akihiro…," Charles said and looked at the TV that showed the ruins of what had once been New York City, "…then we have a bigger problem than we had before… 65% of our teams are there." He ran a hand through his auburn hair and tried to grab a clear thought. "Another problem is that we don't know how often Apocalypse can launch such a destructive attack. What if he plans to target other cities next?"

"He won't attack Washington D.C.," Erik said. "It's his base." He gave Akihiro a look. "Why don't you tell us what Apocalypse is thinking?" he mocked and received a glare.

"Why don't you think for yourself or come up with something productive instead of mocking other people with a higher IQ than yours?" Jean-Paul snapped. "We have more important things on our hands than your stupid jealousy! Your son was in the zone!"

"You mean the traitor that decided to change sides," Magneto corrected him with an arrogant smirk. "Elaborate!"

"I'd come here and kill us all," Daken replied and noticed the looks he was given. "What? We are the last of his enemies. Of course he wants us dead. Don't act so surprised." He turned his head towards the door. "That was the hangar door just now," he told the team and was about to get up as Scott appeared in the door, breathless, bloody and his uniform torn.

"A medic. Quick!" he managed to say before he dropped to his knees, holding his middle.

"Scott!" Charles quickly knelt down next to him and kept him steady. "Jean and Moira will take care of you in…"

"No!" Scott breathed and shook his head. "Not me. Logan. Quick…" Like dead weight he slumped to the ground and was unconscious.

Charles reached for the throat, glad to find a pulse. "Moira?" he asked, since Jean had already run out of the room and towards the hangar. He waited for the woman to take his place before he went after the redhead. He heard her agonized wail through the thick hangar door and sprinted towards the open hatch of the jet. "No…," escaped his lips as the redhead came into view, a more dead than alive looking Logan in her arms. "Is he…"

"No…," she breathed and tried to concentrate on the leaking wound on Logan's shoulder where his left arm had once been. "He said we need to evacuate…"

"When?" Charles asked and took the first aid kit to take care of the large and deep gash on the right side of the feral's face. Even if he was no medic he could tell that the eye was definitely damaged. "Why is he not healing?"

"He's losing too much blood," Jean told him in a monotonous voice that still trembled.

"Jean, when did he tell you that we need to evacuate?!" Charles asked and barely heard her answer. "So he was conscious just a moment ago?" He did his best to patch up Logan's face, telling Erik at the same time to gather everyone in the hangar for immediate evacuation. Still… "We have nowhere to go…" He looked aside as the hangar door opened and saw Storm coming closer.

"Magneto said we…," she began and let out a shocked gasp as she noticed what Jean was doing. "No… Don't tell me he's…"

"No, but Ororo I need you to focus. We need to leave immediately. Get everyone together, get the most important things and bring everyone here!" Charles told her and she turned around, jogging out of the room. "Jean?" he tried and she looked up with teary eyes. "In case of an attack…can we count on you? Can you focus?" he asked and she nodded. "Are you sure?"

"They'll pay for what they've done…," she said darkly but regained control quickly. "I managed to stop the bleeding for now. I need morphine and a syringe."

"I'll get it for you!" he promised and left.

Now that she was alone with Logan, she could finally let go. Hugging him carefully, she caressed the good side of his face and shook her head. "Where did we go wrong?" she wondered and only she knew why she thought this way. She remembered the encounter in the kitchen too well, the encounter that had happened a few years ago in her sleep. The man named Cable, who had missed an arm and an eye, who was far away from being her Logan. Now looking at Logan, she wondered what they had done for things to take a different turn. They had saved Jamie, Cable had told her that things were fine by now, that she and Logan were looking forward to their twins being born, that everything was alright…

"Darlin'?"

Startling, Jean lowered her gaze and looked down, trying to smile through her tears. "Charles is getting morphine to make the pain easier…," she told him and cupped his face with one hand.

"Hardly feel it…," he muttered and closed his eyes again.

She knew he was lying to not have her worry too much. The tremble in his body told her otherwise. "We are evacuating. But we don't know where to go…," she said, trying to keep up a conversation to distract him from everything that was going on.

"Home… He won't reckon with it…"

"Home? You mean Westchester?" she asked in confusion and he nodded. "But our home's destroyed, Logan…"

"Parts of the underground passages ain't. We hide the kids… 'n then we'll attack him. It's now or never," he replied and coughed, his face a mask of pain. "Damn…"

"You can't fight in your condition! Plus, we hardly have anyone left to fight…," Jean said and stroked over his face, relieved when Charles came back with the morphine. She quickly applied the morphine into his remaining arm and touched his face, ordering him mentally to sleep.

"We are ready to evacuate. But I have no idea where to go…," he told her thoughtfully. "Tony just checked the media. Obviously Apocalypse sent a mutant named Genocide to several important locations. He's destroying whole cities in just one blast. It's like an atomic bomb." He shook his head. "We waited too long… We should have started a direct attack when Apocalypse was still weak…"

"Logan wants us to go back to Westchester," Jean said and he raised his head. Looking surprised. "He thinks they won't reckon with it. He said we should hide the children in the underground tunnels that are still intact and start a direct attack."

"I actually think he is right. Apocalypse won't reckon with us going back to New York…" Charles turned his head as the hangar door opened. "What do you think, Jean?" he asked as the room began to fill and the few remaining mutants began to board the jet.

"I think we don't have any other options left…," she said thoughtfully and covert Logan with a blanket, so that her children wouldn't immediately see their father's injury.

Charles nodded and closed the hatch after everyone was inside. "So to Westchester it is."

"We're going back to New York?!" Storm asked and exchanged a surprised look with Scott. "Why?"

Erik, who had looked at Charles in silence had understood. "Because the war has begun."

**I'm terribly sorry for not updating in ages, but next to college I have a teaching job since September, which keeps me very busy. I hope you can forgive me and still follow the story. The end of WAR is very near. The Epilogue-parts will follow afterwards. I have tons of scenes pre-written for the epilogue for years already and look forward to finally using them. I hope you will stay with me and the story. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! What happened in Central Park will be explained in the next chapter. Please review! See ya!**


	22. Chapter 20

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Reference to "Changes Sequel 2 – Covenant: Chapter 57" while Jean was in a coma and had flashbacks!**

* * *

**I know it's been ages since I uploaded, but I was moving into a new apartment, which took over 2 months since so much renovation had to be done, and I since December I am a full-time teacher at school and up until recently had my own class. All of this next to college. So quite busy. I'm very sorry you had to wait this long. I hope you're still with me and will enjoy reading the finale! Please leave a review!**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue Part 20**

"We were at the harbor, on our way back to the jet as we suddenly saw that huge pillar of light which began to spread rapidly. Logan told Kurt, who was some steps ahead of us and acting as a spotter, to teleport away quickly. The light came rapidly closer. We ran back to the jet and Logan suddenly grabbed me and threw me into it. I only heard him howling in pain and when I turned he was only half way in. That light or whatever it was had torn off his left arm and who knows what had left that deep gash on the right side of his face. He was bleeding like crazy. I did what I could to stop the bleeding. He suddenly told me that they were coming. I barely managed to start the jet before they launched an attack on us…," Scott told the group as the jet was flown back to Westchester New York, Iron Man, two Iron Man dummies and the two Stark Sentinels accompanying the jet in stealth mode.

"What about any one of the others? You just left them behind?" Magneto asked grumpily.

"No."

"Then where are they?"

"Dead. They're all dead…," Logan suddenly grunted and sat slowly up after resting his head in Jean's lap, a blanket covering his missing arm.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him worriedly but he shrugged.

"'m fine…"

"No you're not."

"How far are we?" he asked, changing the subject and looked at Cap, who was piloting the jet, Fury being his co-pilot.

"About to land."

Nodding, Logan's eyes searched the jet until they finally found his kids, who were being protected by Miloh and Callie, Yuki lying next to Daken, who had Kazuki on his lap. "What's wrong with the kids?!" he demanded to know since all of them, even 'Ro's kids were out cold.

"The Professor and I agreed on keeping them that way. They don't need to know what's really going on," the redhead said and earned a disapproving look from her husband. "Logan, they already went through too much. Let us figure out what to do first and then explain the situation to them. If they figure out, and they will, how stressed out and worried we are…"

"It's okay…" He waved off and felt the _thump_ of the jet landing the next moment. "Strike team goes out first. Check the surroundings!" he ordered and was about to get up too as Jean held him back. "What?"

"You don't want to go out there injured like that!" she said and he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I ain't dead, Jean!" he grunted and got up anyway, trying to get used to only being able to see with his left eye at the moment. His balance was off, he couldn't deny it but was determine to ignore it. His brain still thought he was in possession of both arms and that his left arm was missing bugged him greatly. In the end, he was left handed. As he stepped out of the jet cool air hit his face and he had to blink a couple of times before he was able to open his eyes fully. Snow was still covering the grounds, the sky the same pitch black as all areas were that Apocalypse reigned. His one good eye immediately darted to the ruin that had once been the school, instantly he found the make shift graves of their loved ones and a fury began to rise in him. Logan stepped forward and joined Scott and Remy at the gravesite, his eyes looking at the piles of stones angrily. They should have acted way sooner. They should have attacked Apocalypse when the mutant had still been weak and without an army. They had failed to do so and were now paying the price.

"W'at to do?" Remy asked and looked at Logan only for a moment before his eyes were fixed on the graves of Rogue and their son.

"We need t'regroup 'n act fast… As soon as the kids are safe underground we'll launch an attack. We can't wait any longer."

"But what then, Logan? Let's say we are successful, let's say we really beat him, then what? We already lost too much…," Scott said, his voice grave. His eyes found the jet. "More than half of the team is dead…"

"Remy don't t'ink we will win dis, mon ami." The Cajun shook his head. "Dis is the end…"

"Even if… We will give 'em hell," Logan growled and turned his head towards the jet, then began looking for the entrance that was hidden underneath the debris and snow. "We've gotta get rid of all of that…," he said and nodded at a huge pile of debris. "The tunnel underneath it should be fine."

"It will take too long to get rid of all that debris…," Scott sighed as Logan suddenly smirked. "What?" Only a moment later Scott stood aside and his eyes weren't even remotely fast enough to see how Northstar made short work of the debris and cleared the way for them. It only took a blink of an eye and he was done, standing next to the pile of stones, bricks and wood, cleaning his hands on his pants. "That will do…," Scott muttered and followed Logan, Remy and Jean-Paul into the dark. "We don't have light here, do we?" he asked since it was pitch black and he couldn't see a thing. All of a sudden, he was blinded by light and had to shield his eyes.

"Sorry…," Jean-Paul said and toned the light he was creating with his body down a bit.

"Seems intact, non?" Remy asked after taking a look around.

"Yeah…," Logan grunted and took the medium sized room with its metallic wall in with his one good eye. "They'll be safe here," he concluded.

"What's your plan anyway?" Jean-Paul asked, confused about the whole situation.

"The kids'll stay here with guardians. The rest will go t'Washington 'n attack this piece of shit," Logan growled and his good eye darkened.

Jean-Paul made a step back and looked at the three men intently for a moment before he crossed his arms skeptically. "Just to get this straight…," he said. "After he killed half of our team, injured you this badly and is powerful than ever… You intend to just go there and what? Get yourself killed?"

"How about killing him?!" Scott asked sourly and Northstar huffed.

"Yes, because we were oh-so-successful with it up to now," he replied and shook his head, running a hand through his medium-length, black hair. "It's suicide!"

"Den w'at would you do, mon ami?" Remy challenged him.

"Definitely not rush to my death," Jean-Paul replied and turned to leave. "But well… I guess we are running out of options, aren't we? Want me to get the others?"

"Yeah," Logan replied and noticed the look Scott and Remy were giving him. "What?!"

"You seriously intend to go to Washington and face Apocalypse injured like that?" Scott asked and crossed his arm, a move that Logan wanted to mimic when he realized that he was lacking one arm.

"So?"

"So? Mon ami…," Remy began but was cut off by Logan.

"I'll be goin'. Discussion's over!" the feral grunted and made room for the rest of the group, who were busy carrying food, water and their luggage inside. After everything had been set up and the children placed on the make shift beds on the ground, he joined Cap and Fury on the outside.

Ororo looked around their makeshift home and sighed. There was still no word of Kurt and by now she was no longer believing that he had survived Apocalypse's attack. Her eyes fell upon TJ and Tommy, both sleeping next to each other, and her look became sad. As a hand touched her shoulder she looked up and tried to give Jean a weak smile.

"I'm sorry…," the redhead said in a hushed voice and hugged the woman that was like a sister to her.

"Can't be changed… I'm not the only one who lost someone…" Ororo nodded at Johnny Storm, who had lost his whole team, Heather, who had lost James, Narya, who was sitting next to Anna alone, still mourning the loss of John. The weather goddess shook her head. They were only a handful left. "Tell me… Tell me how this life is supposed to be worth living with so much loss and destruction?"

Jean let her arms fall and looked at her sleeping children. "It's always worth something as long as our children are still here," she replied and looked aside as someone was coming closer.

"I'll be taking Kyle to his parents. Tell Hiro I'll be back as soon as I can," Jean-Paul told her and she nodded.

"Be careful!"

"I will," he said and waited for Kyle to say good-bye before they made it to the outside. He scooped his ex up into his arms and rose high enough into the air for both of them to still be able to breathe. They flew all the way to Toronto in silence and Northstar landed minutes later in the garden of Mr. and Mrs. Jinadu.

"So this is it, huh?" Kyle asked after Northstar had dropped him to his feet.

"Oui…"

Kyle nodded and let out a heavy sigh. "Listen… I might not agree with him, but… I only want you to be happy and you are happy with him, I think. Just promise me to be careful. And call when this is all over!" he requested and noticed the odd smile on Jean-Paul's lips. "What?"

"I don't think I can do that, Kyle…"

"Pourquoi?!"

"Let's face it. We won't survive this. Everyone of us knows," Northstar said out loud what he'd been thinking for days. "We _can't_ beat Apocalypse. What they are trying to do is another vain attempt to do _something_."

Kyle frowned deeply at him and made a step forward to take the man's hand. "So what are you trying to tell me? That this is adieu?!"

"We both know it is, mon ami… I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I am a realist. There is no chance for us to survive this war. He will crush us and the rest of humanity next. So do me a favor. Take your parents, take the next plane and get as far away from the US as you can. Hide in Europe or Australia. It will give you a bit more time!" Jean-Paul said.

"You are scaring me, Jean-Paul. Seriously… You haven't even started fighting, yet and already you give up?!" Kyle asked but the speedster shook his head.

"Apocalypse is too powerful. The Professor knows, Jean knows… We can't beat him. He killed the majority of our team and wiped out New York City with a single attack! The team didn't even get close to him. Please, Kyle, listen to me and take your parents and go! See it as my last wish. Just go!" He stepped back, ready to go back to base. "I know things haven't been as they were between us after we called off the wedding. Still you're my best friend and I love you. Do me the favor and stay with your family, be safe." He heaved a deep breath and took Kyle and his surroundings in, knowing he wouldn't see them again. "Adieu, mon ami…," Jean-Paul said as Kyle made a quick move and wrapped his arms around him as if he was drowning. He hugged him back and both remained on the same spot for a good while before Kyle let slowly go, tears stinging in his eyes. Northstar knew that all was said and reached out to cup the man's face to kiss his cheek. "Adieu…"

Kyle had only blinked once as Northstar was gone, leaving a dreadful fear and emptiness inside of him. He reached slowly down to take his bag and turned towards his old home. Before he entered the house he turned once more, his eyes falling on the bright north star in the sky.

When Northstar had landed at the old X-Mansion again the former beautiful and now destroyed garden was abandoned. He had just set foot into the tunnel as he spotted Daken leaning against the jet, staring at him.

"You reek of him…," the feral noticed disgustedly after Jean-Paul had joined him.

"I carried him. Of course you scent Kyle on me," the speedster said with a roll of his eyes. "Why are you here all by yourself?"

"I was waiting for you."

"Why?"

"We're leaving tomorrow. It's been decided."

Northstar pulled a face and sighed. "Why not stay here and enjoy the bit of time we still have left. Why rush into a suicide?" he muttered and shook his head. "So you waited for me here in order to tell me that?"

"No."

"But?"

Daken looked around and pulled him into the jet at the end, closing the hatch behind him. After they had reached the seats he pushed Northstar into one and knelt down in front of him, a smirk visible on his lips as he leant in to kiss him. "I intend to test if your new healing factor can compete with mine, sweetness."

Northstar huffed playfully. "It's your healing factor, dumbass, of course it can."

Daken leant his arms on the man's knees. "Then proof it, wiseass!" he mocked in return and proceeded to do just that.

* * *

Jean looked at the dark lake and soaked the peacefulness and quietness up. Her thoughts, however, were already focusing on the next day even if she was trying to relax. A sigh escaped her lips and she ran a hand through her long red hair while leaning back against Logan.

"What are ya thinkin' about?" he asked and she could feel his chest vibrating against her back.

"Tomorrow…," she replied truthfully and leant into his touch. Her eyes closed for a brief moment before she opened them again, taking her surroundings in. They had married exactly here, at the boathouse, for the second time. Logan had surprised her with it. It felt like yesterday that John Howlett and her father had been with them. Now both of them were dead. Logan hadn't mentioned his brother once since his return from New York, as he hadn't talked to her about his severe injuries. A look at Logan was enough to make her tear up. He was almost the spitting image of Cable…

"Darlin'?" Logan asked and the redhead quickly blinked her tears away. She should have known that he could feel her distress. "I told ya I'm fine…," he tried to soothe her anyway and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"That's not it, Logan…"

"But?" he asked and pulled her closer with his remaining arm.

"Cable… "

"What about him?" In fact he knew what she was hinting at, but wanted her to say out loud what was bothering her so much.

"You look like him. Almost. I still don't know where we went wrong, Logan. The second time he visited, after we rescued Jamie, he looked normal. He said everything was all right in his time in the future," Jean explained and he could easily hear the strain in her voice. "We did something wrong and are paying the price now… We already lost too much. And this is just the beginning…"

He frowned and looked at her with his remaining eye. "Ya talk as if ya already knew the outcome, Red…"

"Don't we all, Logan?" Jean sighed and sat up, her eyes staring at the black lake in front of them. "We should have acted way sooner when Apocalypse hadn't been that powerful yet. We waited too long…"

Behind her Logan let out a deep breath. "Let me tell ya somethin' 'bout impossible situations, Red," he said and she turned to look at him. "Back then in '45 when Rogers, Victor, Bucky 'n I got the order t'take Hitler down we thought _How? He's too powerful, the majority of Europe is his, his army is huge_. 'n who won the war in the end? We did! Coz we laid out a plan, coz we believed in us, coz we hit him where he didn't expected it."

"Hitler though wasn't able to kill all of you and wipe out whole cities in just one single attack, Logan…," she disagreed.

"We can beat him!"

"And then what?" she asked and turned fully around this time. "Tony checked upon the news. Apocalypse started launching attacks on Europe. That mutant, Genocide, is destroying whole cities. According to the news half of the continent has already fallen… Even if we win this, Logan… There has been too much destruction. We lost too much. People will hate mutants even more after this."

"I don't care about what other people think, Jean," Logan said, his face looking grim. "What I care about is that my kids have a future." He avoided her gaze and looked at the lake, recalling all the good times they had here. In his inner eye he saw them lying arm in arm on the wooden floor, their skin still drying from their love making. How often had they spent time swimming in the lake at night, just the two of them? What would he give to have a moment similar to his memories just now. When Jean cupped his face and kissed him tenderly he looked up at her in surprise, then love. He held her close as she leant into him and hid his face in the crook of her neck. He was no fool. He was very much aware of the fact that by tomorrow they could be dead, that this was very likely their last night together and he was unsure what to do.

Jean on the other hand wouldn't be the talented psychic she was when she didn't read his thoughts and took matters in her own hand. She straddled his hips, kissing him and made short work of his shirt buttons, belt buckle and zipper without breaking any contact once. He drew in a sharp breath as she raised her hips briefly and lowered herself on him in the next moment. "Good that I'm actually wearing not much right now, huh?" she teased and made him chuckle.

"Perfect!" Logan agreed and allowed her to take control. He looked up at her as Jean placed her hands on his shoulders, careful not to hurt his injured one, and kissed her hungrily back. "Fuck, darlin'…," he hissed through gritted teeth and threw his head back while the redhead simply smiled at him and began to nibble and suck on his neck.

Afterwards, they both leant into each other and enjoyed the peacefulness the lake radiated despite the pitch black sky and destruction all around it. They wanted to gain as much from the alone time for now as they could, knowing that neither of them could tell what the next day would bring. However, the more minutes passed the more they knew they had to go back…

"Ready?" Logan asked and kissed the side of her head.

"Yeah…," Jean nodded and got up, straightening her clothes. While he did the same, her eyes were back on the lake. She wanted to memorize as much as she could. His arm hugged her from behind and she leant back against him. "I love you."

"I love ya too, darlin'." Kissing her once more, he linked hands with her and led her up the wooden steps. They were still behind some trees, on their way back to the entrance of the tunnel, as Jean put a hand to his chest. He looked at her in confusion.

"Give them a moment," she said and nodded into the direction of the jet where Daken and Jean-Paul stood, the latter looking up into the dark sky while the other was straightening his clothes.

"Hiro?" Northstar asked without looking away from the sky.

"Hm?"

"If we survive this against all odds…," Jean-Paul began and finally looked at the feral, "…could you actually imagine moving to Canada with me?"

Daken looked back at him, considering it. "Yes."

"Really or are you just saying it to shut me up?" the speedster asked and turned fully around. "Because I am serious here."

Sighing, the feral came closer, fishing for something in his trouser pockets. "I'm being serious here too, sweetness," he said while taking Jean-Paul's left hand into his. "More than you think."

Dumbfounded, the speedster stared at his hand and was rendered speechless for a good while. "If this is a joke, Hiro…"

"It's not. See?" Daken held up his left hand and the twin to Northstar's silver ring was shining back at him. "I'm sick of other people hitting on you."

"Hitting on _me_?!" Jean-Paul mocked. "Who is always surrounded by dozen of people?"

"Both of us!"

"That's…actually true," he agreed after thinking about it. As his eyes fell on the ring again he felt his heart beating faster. "You better be serious about this!" Northstar warned the feral once more before he embraced him after a kiss.

"You're mine and I want other people to know that! So consider yourself lucky. I wouldn't do this for anyone else…"

"Aww, you like me then?" Jean-Paul teased and linked hands with him, walking slowly back to the entrance of the tunnel.

"Shut up!" Daken growled and followed him back to their hideout underground.

"Hey," they were greeted by Johnny Storm, who had already a makeshift bed on the ground, close to the door. "We only got a single blanket left. Sorry."

"That will do," Northstar said and took it, making his way over to the empty spot next to the man.

"Sure?"

"Yeah. We were sharing a single bed the whole time through at Genosha, so a single blanket is no problem." He turned to look at Daken. "Right?" he asked and received a shrug. He turned back to Johnny. "Are you okay with us sleeping here?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" Johnny asked back in a hushed voice since some were already sleeping.

"You're a guy."

"So? I don't have a problem with you sleeping here." He shrugged. "Go ahead, cuddle, do whatever you want."

"And include him!" Deadpool said and snickered. "Oh come on, Johnny-boy, you know you want to. It's probably your last chance of getting some action!"

Johnny Storm looked at the feral and speedster before he propped his head up with his left arm. "Who said I didn't do it with them just a few minutes ago, Mr. Logorrhea? You didn't see us then, I assume? Too bad. It was quite good," he challenged and blew a kiss into Deadpool's direction, making the merch-with-a-mouth's jaw drop. Wade couldn't tell if the man was just joking or really meaning it. He was very much thinking the latter… In the end, he had seen Johnny Storm around the jet into which… the couple had disappeared a bit later.

While Daken and Northstar were making their bed Logan and Jean finally entered and went straight to their corner, next to the sleeping children. Jean spread the blanket on the floor and lay down next to their youngest children, reaching out to tuck them back in. She cuddled up to Logan as he took his spot next to her and wrapped his arm around her, kissing her cheek tenderly.

"Ladies… Decide please!" Deadpool groaned after he had heard Jean-Paul asking Daken a question concerning their sleeping position. Faking a yawn and ignoring the glares, Deadpool scratched his chest. "Does daddy know by the way?"

"Know what?" Daken grunted after he too had lain down and wrapped an arm around Jean-Paul.

"He does know," Logan grunted sleepily. "'n he approves. Now shut up, Wade!"

"Weeeell…," Wade sing-songed with a look at the speedster and feral. "Who's gonna be the bride, huh? I think princess would look tremendously in a gown. Just saying."

Northstar sighed. "Well, you're gonna be the flower girl, Wade, that's for sure…" He looked behind him with a roll of his eyes.

Deadpool gave a thumbs-up. "Awesome! I'll wear my pink skirt then."

"Good for ya, Wade. Now !" Logan growled and got comfortable again. Even if he tried and even though Jean and the others had long fallen asleep he couldn't find any. His mind was too troubled and occupied with thoughts of the upcoming battle. He looked at Jean and their children for a long time. They had just gotten Jake back. Their time with him had been too short. He wished they had more time, that they didn't have to leave tomorrow in order to fight a battle that they would most likely lose. He feared her reaction to the plan that he, Cap, Fury, Charles and Magneto had come up with. She didn't know. He hated lying to her and he was lying to her about many things right now. He was acting strong, was playing down his injuries to not worry her further. She didn't know that his healing factor was completely messed up and not working properly, that he could hardly see through his remaining eye and his lost arm troubled him a lot. Sure he had his claws on his remaining hand, but popping them would mean his wounds wouldn't heal and this would weaken him further. He wanted to accompany her until the very end, wanted to protect her and if necessary sacrifice himself for her. But he had doubts that he would make it this far… Logan raised his head as Cap suddenly sat up and ran a hand through his hair. It was then that he noticed the much brighter light on Tony's device that faked daylight. Was his eyesight really that bad already?

"It's time…," Cap said and got up, stretching his muscles. His eyes fell upon Tony and Pepper, both sleeping to his right, huddled against each other, whereas Tony's hand was resting on the small bulge that was the redhead's stomach. He then turned to his left where Moira and Hank were sleeping next to each other, their adoptive son in their middle. His eyes then fell on Northstar and Daken, who were also huddled against each other and built a perfect symbiosis underneath the small blanket, the arms tightly wrapped around the other.

"Let them sleep a while longer," Logan grunted and sat up, running a hand through his unruly hair. He followed Cap to the outside where they were met by chilly air. A look around and they were sure they were alone.

"The calm before the storm…," Cap sighed and stretched. He took their surrounding in before his eyes fell on Logan. "How are you holding up?" he asked, knowing that the feral was not feeling well.

"Okay…"

"You sure you'll make it?"

"Yeah." Logan leant back against some debris. "What about the teams?"

"I think we can leave them as planned," Cap replied and crossed his arms. They stood next to each other in silence and waited for the rest of the team to wake up. It didn't take long and they were joined by Tony, Charles and Erik. Soon the rest of the team followed. "Okay, listen up," Cap said loud enough for everyone to hear. We will make three teams. Two will go into the zone, one will stay here to protect the children. Team Alpha will be led by me, team Bravo by Logan, team Charlie by Akihiro," he announced, receiving a surprised look from the younger feral. "Team Alpha will consist of Iron Man, Fury, Hulk, Psylocke, Archangel, Carter, Deathlok, Cyclops and me. Team Beta will consist of Phoenix, Professor X, Deadpool, Emma Frost, Gambit, Magneto, Creed, Beast and Wolverine. Team…"

"I won't take any orders from him!" Magneto said and glared at Logan. "Besides he doesn't look fit to be of any use."

"Why don't ya do us all a favor 'n shut up?" Logan asked.

"Because he is right. Why should we follow someone injured as badly as you are? Erik is much better suited for the job," Emma smiled her sweetest smile at Jean while her hand rested on Magneto's shoulder.

"Says the desperate woman who shares his bed…," Jean muttered loud enough for Logan to hear who chuckled.

Cap stepped forward until he was face to face with Magneto, glaring at him. "You won't follow Logan's orders?" he asked and before Magneto could say anything else, "You OWE him, Erik!"

Magneto raised his eyebrows arrogantly. "I don't owe that animal anything!"

"No?" Cap said, tilting his head a bit. "Tell me where you've been in January 1945 then! Tell us, Erik! Because I can tell you where I've been." He waited for the master of magnetism to say something but the man remained silent this time. "In January 1945 I led my division to Ausschwitz where we were supposed to free the prisoners from the Nazi's. I remember a boy around 10 or 12 years of age that was used as a guinea pig by the Nazis. A Captain James Howlett freed that boy, protected him but got captured himself in that process. The boy's name, as the child told me, was Erik. Erik Lensherr," Cap said and the glare never left his eyes. "As Captain Howlett told me after we freed him the Nazis had been about to shoot said Erik Lensherr as he arrived. So that soldier saved that boy's life. And now that boy is standing in front of me and has the nerve to not only call his savior an animal, but also refusing to follow the man who saved his life?!" he asked. "Logan _will _lead your team and you _will _follow any order he gives you. Did I make myself clear?!"

"How dare you?!" Emma asked and stepped forward as Erik's hand shot out to hold her back. "How dare he telling you…"

"Silence!" Erik hissed and pulled her back.

"But…"

"I said _silence_!" he repeated and glared at her before his eyes fell on Logan. How could he have not recognized him? But then he remembered the uniform and gear. He had hardly seen that soldier's face back then. But the name. He had clearly seen the name on that soldier's uniform. He hadn't known his savior had been right under his nose all those years. That soldier had saved him from that hell, had saved his life in the last second and how had he repaid him? "I…I didn't know it was you…," he said, his voice hoarse. "Forgive me…"

"You apologize to him?!" Frost asked enraged and suddenly felt how an invisible hand threw her to the ground. Her eyes were instantly on Jean. "You…"

"If you don't like the orders you are given, you are free to go! So shut up, leave and stop wasting our time!" the redhead snapped at her. "We have better and more important things to do than putting up with your bitchiness! Logan is the leader of our group. Accept it or get lost!"

"No! You won't say another word!" Erik warned Emma as the blonde opened her mouth. Shocked and speechless about his sudden rough treatment she kept her mouth shut.

Cap sighed. "Since we settled it… Team Charlie consists of Daken, Northstar, Storm, Snowbird, Vindicator, two Iron Man dummies and…"

"I want to be on the strike team," Heather demanded.

"Darlin'…," Logan began but she shook her head.

"No, Logan. That mutant murdered my baby's father and husband! I _want _to be on the strike team!" she insisted. Her eyes darted back and forth between Logan and Cap. "I don't care what you think. My decision is final!"

"Fine…," Cap gave in. "You'll also have a War Machine dummy. Suits are in the jet. Get dressed and ready." He ordered and the teams walked over to the jet where they took the uniforms and got dressed in them.

"Yo, Snicktling," Tony called over to Daken, who hadn't moved an inch. "Reed and I created it for you. You always disliked the thought of wearing a uniform, but maybe you changed your mind by now… So, here." He walked over to him and handed the feral a folded package. Daken looked at it with an indefinable look and disappeared in the tunnel behind him.

Tony, already dressed in his armor, looked aside. He noticed Pepper, a blanket wrapped around herself, standing close by and staring at him teary eyed. He was no mind reader but he knew what she was thinking right now. This was Pepper's worried-face and he definitely shared her fears right now. Something could happen to him, something could happen to her, and no matter what the outcome he wouldn't see her or their child ever again. Walking over to her, he tried to come up with any wiseass-comment, but for the first time ever, he couldn't come up with one. Therefore, Tony simply hugged her as tight as he could without hurting her with his armor and held her close.

"Promise me you'll come back…," the redhead whispered and fought hard to hold back her tears. She had never been that scared in his life to let him go on a mission.

"I'll be careful," Tony replied and knew that it was the closest thing to any promise he could make. He let go of her as Cap gave the sign to assemble and looked at Pepper for a good long while. "There's a tablet pc in the tunnel. It's connected to our devices and will transfer any vital signs in real-time. We have the same device with us. Just…in miniature created by yours truly." She nodded and wiped away her tears as good as she could. The look Tony gave her was one she hadn't seen him using before. Not once. It gave her the impression as if he was memorizing her tiniest details. "I love you, Potts."

"I love you too, Tony. Please, be careful!"

He nodded and turned around after one last kiss to join Cap and the rest of the strike teams at the jet. "Everyone ready?" he asked after putting his helmet on.

"No. Logan and Jean need a moment with their children," the blond told him. "Jet is ready though. We are ready for take off as soon as they are here."

"Good."

In the tunnel Logan and Jean were done saying goodbye to their sleeping children and while Jean was already on her way out, Logan stopped next to Daken, looking at him closely. "Lookin' good on ya, son," he said and nodded at the black X-Men uniform that Daken was wearing. They hugged briefly and Logan followed Jean to the jet.

"What are you waiting for?!" Northstar asked his partner, who gave him a dumfounded look. "It's probably the very last time you'll ever see your father. I can tell from both of your faces that you want to say more than you just did. So get moving or you'll regret it!" He gave Daken a push, but the feral remained on the spot, turning his head as the jet's engines roared to life. "Hiro… Go!"

Turning, Daken finally left the tunnel and began to run as the jet was already closing the hatch. "Father!" he barked and Logan came to view, stopping the hatch from closing. He cocked an eyebrow at his eldest as this one came to a halt in front of him.

"What is it, kid?" he asked since Daken was simply looking at him in silence and still not moving after a full minute. He was completely taken by surprise as his son suddenly pulled him into a tight hug.

"Ki o tsukete kudasai, otousan…"

Logan looked at his son in utter surprise and a proud and happy smile became visible on his face. He hugged his eldest as close to his chest as possible. "Boku wa taishita mono da," he whispered and it was true. He was proud of him. "Your mother too!" he added as he let go of him. "Be careful yerself, okay?"

Nodding, Daken stepped back and watched how the hatch closed and the jet took off. He remained on the same spot until he could neither see nor hear it anymore. As he reentered the tunnel several pairs of eyes met his expectantly. "We can't do more than wait…," he muttered and sat back down on the makeshift bed he had spent the night on. His mind was thinking everything through. "We do turns, two people each, in guarding the grounds. The dummies are already up in the air. Tony said their power lasts for about one day, but only if we aren't attacked. We should set up traps too."

"But where?" Storm asked and crossed her arms, watching him closely.

"If I were them, I'd come through the wood. Enough space to roam freely, to watch, to retreat. I am the only one here that can see them in the darkness and I'm pretty show they reckon with at least one feral being here…," he thought out loud before he looked at Northstar. "How fast can you shovel a deep hole?"

* * *

After the jet had landed at Tidal Basin in Washington D.C. the two strike teams had split, each making their way to the White House where Apocalypse was residing in a huge, floating pyramid above the white building. While Cap led his team into the direction of the National Museum of American History, Logan led his past the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Their plan was for Cap's team to cause a distraction while Logan's team made sure that they would get to the White House. However, they had barely split and went their ways as swarms of MRD and Devils were hunting them through the streets.

"More coming in from Pennsylvania Avenue and Madison Drive," Iron Man told them and was busy shooting down four helicopters that were shooting at him and his team on the ground. Banner had already hulked up and jumped furiously at one of the machines, smashing it to pieces as something to his right caught Tony's eyes. "Cap… we're fucked!"

"Why?" Cap asked and rammed his shield into the face of a MRD soldier.

"Sentinels incoming. And I mean the plural as in A LOT!"

"I thought you took care of that problem?!"

Tony sighed. "Yes, the virus reprogrammed those Sentinels that it could reach. We're talking Prime Sentinels here that…" The breath caught in his throat as something hard suddenly slammed into his back and made him cash. Dazed Tony opened his eyes again and did not only find Jarvis dead and his suit malfunction, but also found Bastion standing above him as soon as he opened his visor. "Still alive, huh?!" Tony mocked and cursed as his suit still needed 75% to reboot.

"Mutant enemy identified as Anthony Edward Stark aka Iron Man," Bastion's robotic voice said and he didn't look the merest intimidated by the Avengers on the ground. "Threat level…mediocre…"

"Medi…? Now I'm hurt!" Tony said and was looking for a way out and to buy time. Bastion couldn't touch him. At least he hoped he couldn't do anything to him while he was in the armor. He wasn't keen to find out…

"To…ny? You…okay?" Cap asked through the intercom.

"Mr. Mastermold slash Nimrod himself and I are having a conversation, Cap. Please don't interrupt!"

"Hold on! We're right there!" Cap replied and he was sure he had heard panic in the man's voice.

"C'mon, Jarvis. Boot faster!" Tony urged the A.I. on and held his breath as Bastion knelt down and touched his suit. He waited and could hear his heart beating in his chest as the Sentinel-master's glowing red eyes met his.

"Suggested course of action…termin…"

Tony closed his eyes as white blood suddenly splattered all over him. He felt something heavy bouncing off his chest and opened his eyes again just to look straight at Bastion's severed head.

"You okay?" Cap asked out of breath and helped him up after catching his shield again.

"Nice cut… Could you actually warn me next time?!"

"A thank you would do too!" Cap turned as a Fury let out a yell and saw the man falling. "We can't win this. They are too many…"

"Hulk angry!" Hulk roared and jumped at the Prime Sentinel above him, tearing at the metal furiously.

Psylocke, who had helped Fury up, came over to them. "We need cover and to fall back. They are coming from all sides!"

"I know!" Cap replied and looked around just to realize that the enemy had trapped them. "It was a trap. Damn it… What about Beta?"

"Heading up the street nicely," Tony said and ignored the dizziness in his head. "Cap, we should go and find a different route otherwise…" He closed his helmet quickly as shots were fired at them.

"Take cover!" Cap barked and used his shield to cover himself while Tony fired his blasts at the approaching MRD soldiers. "Hulk, smash!"

Grinning, Hulk threw himself at the soldiers that were still firing shots and slammed his fists at as many of them as he could, while Cap and the others sought cover. They had barely turned around another corner as they were directly face to face with five Sentinel Primes, a bunch of Devils and two mutants they knew very well.

"Alex…," Cyclops muttered and stared at his brother, who stood next to Lorna, both wearing Apocalypse's uniform, the same Logan had worn as Death.

"Surrender and you'll die quickly!" Havok said, his voice monotonous and full of venom.

"Or face a painful and slow death," Polaris added.

"We need to get past them. It's the only way," Fury said and held his bleeding side. "Psylocke?"

The woman shook her head. "I can't get through to them…" She turned as MRD soldiers suddenly came from behind, their weapons aimed at them. They were trapped.

"Tony?" Carter asked and backed off against Cap, who exchanged a brief look with her.

"The only way out is straight through…," Tony told them and monitored Jarvis calculations. "They trapped us like animals…"

"There is no other way?" Cap asked but Tony denied. "Those Devils are multiplying… We will never make it through them alive."

"Alex, listen to me!" Cyclops tried and made a step forward, but was instantly met with an attack by his brother. Hitting the ground hard, he had to catch his breath first. "He brainwashed you!"

Polaris sighed. "I'm getting incredibly bored…," she faked a yawn. "You?"

"Oh, me too," Alex nodded and readied himself for another attack. "I also think killing them quickly sounds boring…" His eyes didn't grow wide as Hulk suddenly landed in the middle of them, roaring his anger into their direction. "Is that all you've got?" he asked and attacked the green monster that slammed his fist into the ground with a roar and leaped at them. Alex simply smirked and watched how the Sentinel Primes answered that attack with one of their own, vaporizing the Hulk easily.

"Can't be…," Fury said, his eyes still staring at the spot where the Hulk had been just a moment ago.

Tony, whose eyes were as wide as Cap's, looked behind him and then back to the front. There was no way out. They were trapped like rats… Jarvis pulled up the screen that monitored the heartbeats of the other groups. "Beta is under attack too… Vindicator is dead," he let his group know and thought about what to do. He knew he merely had seconds to act before they would be shot to death. "I'll try something…," he said via intercom and Cap frowned at him. "I only got one try. If this doesn't work we're all dead…."

"We'll be dead anyway. I can't control their minds," Psylocke informed them and let her hand that had touched her temple drop.

Deathlok made a careful step forward, his eyes never leaving their enemies. "They are like machines. There is nothing human left in them anymore," he said and his eyes looked at the Sentinel Primes that had their hands raised. "We don't stand a chance against those, Cap… It's the end…"

Swallowing Cap nodded, his eyes searching Carter's. Her eyes spoke volumes, the same regret was visible in them. He would have loved to get to know her better… "Then let's give them hell and buy time!" He gripped his shield harder and charged at Polaris while Iron Man rose a bit into the air and used all that his suit got to attack those Sentinel Primes. Underneath him Cyclops and his brother were caught up in a fight whereas Angel had turned into his Archangel form and charged into the direction of the Devils, slicing some of them open with his wings. Fury, Carter and Deathlok were shooting at the MRD soldiers in the meanwhile.

"Sir, the suit is down to 0.5%," Jarvis told him and Tony knew the moment his suit's power was completely down he'd be history. His blasts died and he fell from the sky, hitting the ground hard. He felt bullets hitting his suit and blinked the stars in front of his eyes away. He was in the middle of a war zone, shots being fired all around him. He turned his head just to look directly at the bodies of Psylocke, Deathlok, Fury and Carter. "Sir, Sentinel Primes incoming. I suggest…"

Archangel screamed as the Devils finally brought him down and jumped him like a pack of hungry wolves, tearing him apart bit by bit. To his right Cap was backing of against Cyclops, both of them wounded. Tony was no fool. He knew this was it. "Jarvis, dial up Logan…," he said and waited for the man on the other line to pick up.

"Bad timing, Tony…," Logan answered the call and sounded out of breath. "What's the situation?"

"We lost six. They rounded us up. Make sure you get through, Logan. We did all we could," Tony informed him quickly and was also backing off as their enemies came closer. "Tell Pepper…" He couldn't bring himself to say it as realization sank in. He wouldn't see her again. Ever. Neither her nor their baby. "Fuck you, Apocalypse…," he muttered under his breath and his eyes narrowed as weapons were raised at them, the soldiers were ready to shoot.

"If we make it, I will," Logan replied and Tony could clearly hear a battle taking place in the background.

Logan was barking a command for Frost to take cover, but it was too late. A Sentinel Prime vaporized her with a single attack. "Fuck!" he cursed and took cover around the next corner before another bullet could hit him. The shooting ensued and it wasn't before his intercom went dead that he realized the shooting had been on Tony's side of the line. "Tony?" he asked and tried to redial. "TONY?!"

"They are dead, Logan…," Charles called over his shoulder and stopped dead in his tracks as they faced a dead end. "Damn it!"

"What now?" Magneto asked and turned around as an explosion could be heard. It didn't take long for Creed and Gambit to limp around the corner, closely followed by Deadpool.

"Man, I told you not to blow that card, didn't I?" the Merch with a mouth complained. "But noooo! Monsieur had to blow it."

"Shut it!" Creed growled and dragged Remy over to where Logan was standing next to Jean. "So what now?" he asked and waited for his wounds to heal.

"We need t'get outta here," Logan grunted and gave the tablet Jean was carrying a brief look. Team Alpha had no survivors. Team Charlie seemed to be still unharmed. His head jerked aside as footsteps came closer. He had to shield his eyes as a Sentinel Prime appeared out of nowhere. "Fuckin' things!"

"It's impossible to detect them!" Jean shouted above the noise the machine was making. "We need to run!"

"The sewers!" Charles pointed at the gully cover to Jean's right.

Erik immediately opened the cover and watched Charles and Jean disappearing in it. "Logan!"

"Go! We'll by you some time!" Beast barked and bared his teeth at the approaching enemy.

Nodding, Logan jumped into the hole and climbed down, joining Jean and the rest of the team. He beckoned for them to hide around the next corner and kept his eyes on the opening. Beast and Creed were roaring. The battle was on.

While Creed and Beast jumped right into the middle of the soldiers and Devils, Remy climbed up the building and aimed for the Sentinel Prime. "And they call me crazy…," Deadpool muttered and shook his head. A bullet hit the wall to his right and made him sigh. "How about aiming?!" he asked the soldier that had shot and shot back in return, hitting the man right between his eyes. "That's how it's done!" He snickered and took out his katana, throwing himself at the Devils, shouting: "I'm on Team Edward!"

Above them, Remy paused briefly and looked at his teammates. Beast had been brought down and found himself covered by angry Devils, his outcries could be heard even from where he was standing. Creed was occupied with five Devils at once and made a massacre out of the fight. Blood and gore flew into every direction, he himself was covered in blood, the red liquid dripping to the ground.

"Stop bleeding all over the place, damn it! You're ruining my suit!" Deadpool complained and beheaded a Devil, just to find himself underneath six of them.

They were losing, Remy thought and gritted his teeth, continuing his ascend. He'd be damned, if he'd die for nothing and with a bullet in his back. He reached the top, cards and rod at the ready. The Sentinel Prime was focusing on Creed, who fought like the beast he was but was losing. "Damn you…," Remy snarled and started running, loading the cards and rod while doing so. He jumped up high, landing on the back of the robot and held on to it. "Go to 'ell!" he barked and gave anything he could. He slammed the cards and rod against the metal, his eyes a radiant red as he began to load up the whole Sentinel Prime that was trying to get a hold of him. He was nearly done as the Sentinel managed to grab him and closed his fist around Remy, tearing him off his back and pulling him to the front. Still, the mutant fought back and began to recharge himself. "I'll kill you, son of a…" An ear-shattering scream left his throat as the Sentinel closed his fist around him hard, crushing bones as if they were made of paper. He coughed up blood and had long lost the feeling in his arms and legs as he was thrown to the ground and hit it hard. Broken, Gambit lay on his back and managed only with all of his strength to turn his head to the right. Through a dizzy view he could see how the Devils tore on Beast's body and ripped the long gone mutant apart. Deadpool had fallen too and Creed was fighting to get his enemies off his back. Coughing, Remy spit more blood and smiled as Rogue suddenly knelt next to him, placing a soothing hand to his forehead. "Chérie…," he whispered hoarsely and leant into her touch. He didn't saw or took notice of the Sentinel Prime that had raised his leg. All he cared for was that his Marie was here with him in that hell. He gladly accepted her hand and let her take him away before the Sentinel Prime's boot came down on him and crushed him completely.

Roaring, Creed lashed out at the soldiers and Devils above him. He cried out as a bullet hit his shoulder and felt a wave crushing over him that sent his enemies flying. Confused, he turned his head a saw that it was Jean.

"Get over here, Victor!" Logan barked and held up the gully cover for him.

Not thinking twice about it, Creed jumped to his feet and started running.

"C'mon!" Logan barked and was staring at something above Victor with wide eyes. "Faster!" He reached out his remaining arm for Victor to take and they were already touching as the beam of the Prime Sentinel hit his target and vaporized Creed. "NO!" Logan barked while something was pulling him back from the opening. He hit the ground underneath him hard, unable to breath for a moment as he remained lying on his side.

"We can't afford to lose you too!" Erik scolded him and set the gully cover back into its place. "We need to go!"

"Logan?" Jean asked and touched him, her eyes briefly looking at the remains of the soldiers that had attacked them underground.

"Yeah…," was all he said before he got up and started walking. "This way…"

"Are you all right?!" Charles asked, clearly concerned.

Logan huffed, his eyes looking at the tablet. They were the sole survivors of Team Beta. "Ain't we all?" he asked and shook his head, muttering a curse under his breath.

"What is it?" Charles asked.

* * *

Northstar's eyes were fixed on the approaching army of Devils that kept on multiplying. He wasn't scared easily, but his legs made a step back at the sight of the endless wall of enemies. They were too many. They would tear Daken and him to pieces… As they had already done with their teammates and those Iron Man dummies. His eyes darted to the feral next to him, whose face was as unreadable as ever. His eyes, however, had a glint in them that Northstar knew all too well. The man had a plan. "Hiro?" he asked, his impossible blue eyes watching how the Devil's army grew larger with every passing second and they began to encircle the two mutants. They were trapped… "Any plans? Now would be the perfect time to spill them!" he said, his voice clearly strained as his eyes switched to and fro between the approaching, growling enemies that were baring their sharp fangs at them, their black claws shining like obsidian. A shudder went down his spine as his mind played a trick on him and he thought he could already feel them breathing down his neck. "Babe?"

Daken lowered his gaze and looked down at the screen in his hand. Storm and Snowbird had fallen too. They were the only ones left standing and he was no fool: their chances to win against a whole legion of Wolverine clones were, even with Northstar's speed and his own lethal strength, zero. He knew what to do though. He never came unprepared. His hand reached into a pocket and pulled something out that Northstar couldn't see from where he was standing.

"Hiro?" the speedster asked and came closer.

"You can still fly, right? Despite their devices?"

He frowned. "Yes. You intend to flee?! I can't carry all the children…"

Daken huffed, smirking. "They are save underground. The door is sealed…," he muttered and turned his head to look at the Devils. "The original must be close by. Otherwise they would be unable to multiply that much."

"Yes, but where…?" Northstar spoke out loud and looked around. "They are too many…" He looked at Daken as the man turned to stare at him. "Why fly? What's your plan? Attack them from above?"

"No," the feral shook his head.

"But?"

"I want you to run!" Daken said bluntly and made Northstar frown.

"Run?" the speedster asked. "As in leaving you behind?"

"You got it, sweetness. I knew you were bright," Daken mocked and smiled.

Northstar didn't like that smile. "And what do you intend to do?" he asked and crossed his arms.

Daken sighed and looked at their enemies briefly. They only waited for one of them to move… He knew they were. "I'll use this and hope that I will kill the original with it."

Northstar looked at the device. If he wasn't mistaken he had seen it in Tony's makeshift lab once. It looked like a small pocket… "It's a bomb?!" he asked shocked as Daken's plan finally sunk in. Wide-eyed he made a step back and shook his head no. "No…"

"It's the only way. And you know it!" Daken said and looked back at him, again with that strange look in his eyes. "If I blow up the original, the copies will disappear and…"

"…and you'll be dead!" Northstar snapped and grabbed both of Daken's arms to force him to look at him. "I won't let you do that!"

"You got a better plan then?" the feral mocked. "You better hurry up because we are running out of time here!"

Northstar gave the Devils a look. They were already chomping at the bit and about to attack them. "I'll do it. I'm fast enough."

Daken shook his head and Northstar actually thought he could see a sad smile on his face. "Not for this… You press the button it'll blow immediately. I'll do it. I'll heal." He shrugged.

Biting his lip, Northstar felt his eyes stinging. When it came to him the feral wasn't a good liar anymore. "You know you won't…," he whispered and Daken met his eyes with a smug smile.

"No, I won't… But there's no need for both of us dying today," he replied and gave Jean-Paul a hard push. "So go!"

"Hiro…"

"GO!" Daken snapped as the first Devils began to roar and got furious as the speedster still remained where he was. "For fuck's sake, koishii, go!" he barked at him and wanted to kill the man himself as Northstar looked down, suddenly heaving a deep breath and came back over to him. "What are you doing? I just gave you a fucking order!"

"Screw that order and screw you!" Northstar said and Daken's eyes widened a bit as he saw the tears and determination in his lover's eyes. "I asked Logan what _koishii_ actually means and if _you _think I'll run and let you sacrifice yourself, _darling_, you are fucking mistaken!"

"We can't both run. One of us has to activate the bomb," Daken said and his darted towards the Devils again. They were almost there…

"I never said anything about both of us running, did I?"

His head jerked aside and he stared at the speedster in shock. "I won't let you…"

Northstar took Daken's hand and shook his head with a smile. "That decision is not yours, Hiro. It's mine. And I told you before it's been a suicide mission from the beginning. If I die now or later…" He shrugged and sniffed. "Truth is… I could never run away and live knowing that you sacrificed yourself and died alone. We're in this together. We've always been. Until the end…" He closed his eyes as Daken pressed their lips together in a desperate kiss. "I love you," he smiled and caressed Daken's cheek lovingly, not caring that tears were now openly running down his cheeks. "I'm glad that we met and you've changed into a man that I'm very proud of."

"Your fault…," Daken mumbled and leant into the touch. He hated himself for not being able to say what he wanted, to finally get over his pride and admitted what he long knew. He wanted it so much. Swallowing, he opened his mouth and had barely articulated the _I_ as one Devil came charging at them with a loud roar. The claw missed his throat only by inches for Northstar had quickly grabbed him and they were now hovering in the air and out of reach.

"Where do you want the bomb to detonate?" the speedster asked and Daken cleared his throat, pointing at a spot far in the woods. "Isn't that too far?"

"Tony said the bomb is strong enough to destroy everything in its wake for a couple of miles. The original must be in the back. He wouldn't risk exposing himself to us."

Nodding, Northstar sighed. "I hope you're right…" When their eyes met again they could tell the other could read every unspoken word in them. Smiling at each other, they kissed tenderly again and pressed their forehead together for a brief moment. "Ready?"

"Yeah…," Daken nodded and, despite what was lying ahead, felt completely at peace. "Thank you. For everything."

Northstar smiled and gave a brief nod. "Maybe we get another shot in another life," he shrugged jokingly. "You can thank me then."

"Then let's meet here again," Daken suggested and it wasn't before Northstar looked at him that he realized the feral actually meant what he said.

"I promise. I'll meet you right here."

"Me too."

"Ready?" Northstar asked once more and received a nod, feeling how Daken tightened his grip on him.

"Let's go."

Neither closed his eyes as Northstar took aim at the Devils at the far back, dragging a trail of light behind him that made it appear as if a shooting star came down on the roaring and furious animals on the ground. They had barely hit ground and were still holding on to each other in a firm embrace, as Daken pressed the button and the bomb tore their bodies apart in a huge ray of light that ate its way through the ranks of the Devils, vaporizing them and everything in its way. As the light faded eventually and showed the whole outcome of destruction the wood was deadly silent for a while. However, it didn't take long for new Devils to reappear soon who began to multiply as they approached the hole in the ground…

* * *

Jean stopped abruptly as the tablet beeped and two more lights went out.

"What is it?" Logan asked breathlessly and didn't like the look she was giving him at all. "Jean?" He came slowly closer, frowning since all she did was staring at him with tears in her eyes. "Darlin'?" He cupped her cheek.

"Jean-Paul and Akihiro are dead…," she muttered and bit her lip hard as realization hit her all of a sudden. "Oh God… There's no one left to protect the children!"

"They are safe underground, Jean," Xavier assured her. "I'm sorry for your loss though, Logan…," he added and received a weak nod only from the feral.

"I hate to interrupt, but we need to go!" Erik urged them on and pointed ahead of them. "The entrance to Apocalypse's lair is right there."

"Then we shouldn't keep him waitin'!" Logan growled and turned as a shot echoed through the darkness and Charles went down uttering a yell.

"Charles!" Erik barked and ran quickly over to scoop the man up into his arms.

One look down was enough to make his heart stop. His hand that was resting on Charles' stomach was quickly reddening with blood that seemed to pour out of the man like a fountain.

"Charles…," Jean gasped and knelt down next to him, but she too knew that she could hardly do anything to save him. The bullet had gone straight through and hit the main artery. After exchanging a knowing look with Logan, she took Xavier's hand into her own. "I'm sorry…"

"No… Don't be!" he said through gritted teeth and coughed up blood. He fought to keep his eyes open as he looked for Erik's skyblue eyes that looked at him with sadness, regret and fury. "You need…to see this through."

"Don't worry, I will, old friend," Erik promised and looked up when he heard barks of commands and footsteps coming closer. His eyes looked down at his hand, now completely covered in blood, then up at Charles, whose face was almost ashen already. "We will win this, brother!"

Nodding barely noticeable, Charles' unfocused eyes tried to find Jean's. As they did he had to concentrate hard for his vision was blurry and fading quickly. "You…can do it, Jean," he breathed and was fighting for breath hard. "You…," he wanted to add but fell silent forever.

"No…" Jean lowered her head and suppressed a sob as Logan pulled her up.

"We need t'go. They are almost here!" he said and took her hand into his. "Erik?!"

"They'll pay for this, Charles…," the master of magnetism seethed and got quickly up to jog after Logan, who dragged Jean towards a huge metallic door. While running, he turned his head and noticed that the MRD group, Deadloks and Devils that accompanied the soldiers had spotted them already and were chasing after them. He looked up ahead, saw the pyramid above the White House. They were so close. They were the only ones left and so close. Erik watched how Logan tried to open the huge, round metallic door with his arm and cursed under his breath. He knew what to do. With a wave of his hand Erik opened the door and waited for Jean and Logan to walk past it before he closed and locked it.

"Erik!" he heard both of them barking behind it and smirked.

"Stick to the plan, Logan!" he shouted back and turned around to face the approaching enemy. He couldn't help but smile at the absurdity. As a child he had faced exactly the same situation: soldiers coming towards him with their weapons raised and ready to shoot. He had only survived because Logan ha rescued him. Now he was in the exact same situation. The only difference was that no one would be coming to save him this time and that he was very much determined to give them hell before he died.

On the other side of the door Logan was trying to pull the door open as he heard shots being fired. He stepped away from the door, staring at it, heard how soldiers screamed aloud, then a body slamming back into the wall as more shots were fired and Devils roared angrily. Someone slipped slowly to the ground and then there was silence. He turned towards Jean, who was looking at the tablet in her hands and looked up at him after a moment. She shook her head and he knew. "Damn it…" Cursing, he slammed his hand against the door and, after hearing a Deathlok barking commands, took Jean by the hand and dragged her towards the stairs with him. The interior of the underground tunnel was a mixture between metal and sand. A long corridor was leading towards a huge, round stairway with golden steps that lead all the way up towards what he thought was the entrance of the pyramid. Surprisingly, the whole room was empty and no soldier or enemy in sight. Logan guessed that Apocalypse considered himself safe and that he never expected them to get that far. Looking up and seeing how much was still ahead of them, he hoped that he would make it. He could feel his strength fading quickly and it was only his willpower that drove him now.

After what seemed to have been endless minutes he could finally see the huge , Egyptian-looking door with several ornaments. They were close, so close that he thought he could already smell the old, villainous odor that was Apocalypse's in front of his door, as Jean let out a terrifying scream that made his blood run cold. "What…?" Logan began as Jean dropped to her knees, wailing as if she had just lost what was most precious to her. And he knew…

"No…," Jean was sobbing and looked at the screen that she had clutched to her body before she stroked lovingly over it.

Logan swallowed down his tears and knelt down in front of her. "Darlin'? We need t'go."

Her head snapped upwards as if an invisible force had pulled on her hair. "What?" she breathed and gave him an incredulous look.

"We need to…," Logan began as she shook her head and he noticed the empty an lifeless look in her eyes.

"What for, Logan?!" Jean asked, her voice barely audible. "Our friends are dead, our home's destroyed, the world is hell…" Her eyes watched how her tears fell on the screen of the tablet and she reached out to stroke over the smooth surface again. "Our children are dead… So what exactly do you intend to fight for? There's nothing worth fighting for anymore!"

"There is!" he replied and swallowed hard, taking her by the arm with his remaining hand and pulling her to her feet. She gave him a confused look, looking at him like a lost puppy. "I'm sorry, I wasn't allowed t'tell ya this…" He sighed.

"Tell me what?"

"We all knew it was a suicide mission from the beginnin'," Logan admitted and saw her looking even more confused back at him. "Our plan was t'make sure ya would reach Apocalypse, no matter what. The others knew they'd be sacrificing themselves in order t'make sure of that. Because they have faith in you, Jean! Because they knew yer the only one strong enough t'make things right again!"

The redhead shook her head. "I can't make _this _right anymore, Logan…"

"Ya can!" he assured her. "If Tony's been right Apocalypse still has Wanda. She can alter realities. With her help ya can make things right again!" he said and cupped her cheek, wiping his thumb over a tear and pressed a kiss to that spot. "I believe in ya, darlin'. We all do. No matter what happens when we go through that door, don't give up! Blow that bastard t'pieces. Ya can do it!"

Jean tried to read in Logan's eyes. She didn't like the way he said those things. It was almost as if he was saying good-bye. "Logan…," she began and wanted to take his hand into hers but he already reached towards the door, intending to push it open.

"Ready, darlin'?" he asked and gave her his casual smirk that usually mad her hear boast with love for him. But know all it did was spread fear in her veins. "No matter what happens, I'll be there with ya. We all are!" he assured her once more and pushed the huge door open.

Jean shielded her eyes as a giant ray of light came their way as soon as the door was fully open. She couldn't see what was lying ahead, but was able to make out Logan's shadow that pushed her quickly to the ground and shielded her from the light. One moment his shadow was there but as soon as the light washed over them it was gone and their psychic link vanished. Staring ahead in shock, Jean blinked as the light faded. As soon as it was gone she immediately searched the room for Logan, was sure he was probably lying somewhere next to her, that he had pushed her to the ground and had rolled aside to safe himself. But he was gone. "Logan….?" she said out loud and through their link, but the psychic connection that they had always shared was as gone as her soulmate.

"He's dead," a dark voice said to her right and she turned her head into the direction.

There, with his right arm that had been morphed into a canon, stood Apocalypse in all his glory, a smirk visible on his lips.

Her eyes looked around and noticed for the first time that the interior of the pyramid was made of a glas-like surface. You couldn't see in from the outside but here, within, she had a very good view on what has once been Washington D.C. Once more she had to realize how much destruction and death had washed over the city since he had taken control of it. The sky was black, smoke heavy in the air, buildings lay in ruins, fire could be seen everywhere. And there were so many corpses…

"What will it be, little Phoenix?" he asked her and spread his arms. "You lost everything. You're all alone… I, on the contrary, am not."

The ground suddenly turned into glass too and Jean was staring straight at a whole army of MRD soldiers, Devils, Deathloks and Sentinel Primes. They were thousands, ready and armed, driven to serve their master and kill everything in their way. She was alone. No friends and family left to protect and help her. It was the end.

She startled as Apocalypse suddenly knelt right in front of her and touched her cheek. "Crying won't help you!" he chastised her and Jean didn't even realized that she was crying and shaking. Her eyes were still looking for Logan, her mind denying that he was dead and gone too. "What are you looking for, hm?" he asked her and looked around himself, a mock-gesture. "Wolverine is gone, my dear. I killed him. Right in front of your eyes!"

"No…" She shook head in denial. Logan couldn't be killed. Even being as badly wounded as he was, he couldn't be killed.

Apocalypse got up with a sigh and waved his hand, making a screen appear behind him.

And Jean did. She saw, through Apocalypse's eyes, how the door was opened and Logan appeared first. His eyes widened as he saw the canon that was aimed at them and he quickly turned to push Jean to the ground, the light hitting him in the back and tearing his body apart, vaporizing him as if he had never existed. "NO!" Phoenix and Jean barked at the same time and let out an inhuman cry.

"I'll ask again, Phoenix," Apocalypse said and the canon that was his arms disappeared, changing itself into an iron noose that wrapped itself around her neck like a snake, pulling her up into the air. "What will it be? Will you serve me? Or will you join your _friends_ in death?" He watched her struggling against suffocation and smirked in satisfaction. No matter what her answer would be, he had crushed his enemies and wiped them out altogether. The Phoenix was only a remaining ant that he would crush with his boot next. "I can't hear you!"

Jean was desperately clawing at the tightening noose around her neck. Her mind slowly began to feel like a vacuum with the lack of air and she couldn't find any willpower in her that pushed her to fight. Why should she fight against him? Her friends and family were gone and she was the only one stuck in hell. Why fighting? She'd be alone anyway.

"_No, you won't!"_ a voice she hadn't heard in month told her in her head and Jean's eyes snapped open. _"Remember what I told you!"_

As the darkness claimed her, the redhead gladly embraced it and slipped into unconsciousness. She didn't feel anymore how Apocalypse threw her body against the next wall…

"_Open your eyes, Phoenix!"_

"No…"

"_Open your eyes!"_

"No, I don't want to…"

"_Why?" _that voice asked and Jean could feel her presence.

"Because…"

"…_everyone's dead and you are alone?" _another voice that she identified as Dark Phoenix was now openly mocking. _"So what? We don't need anyone!"_

"_Open your eyes, Phoenix. Open them and look at me!"_ that other, much friendlier voice was demanding of her and finally, Jean obeyed. But as soon as her eyes were open she found herself in a pitch black room with no one else in it.

"What kind of sick joke is this?!" she asked angered.

"_You opened your eyes,"_ the voice said, _"but not your mind!"_

Sighing, Jean closed her eyes and tried to relax. It was nearly impossible with her constant thoughts of her family and friends haunting her. It took her a good while to cast them aside and empty her mind.

"_Now open your eyes!"_

She did. And they widened in shock as she was staring at her twins. "What…?!"

"_What do you see?"_ the Phoenix on the left, covered in a white suit with a golden Phoenix on her chest, asked.

"Me…"

"_Genius!"_ Dark Phoenix, in a blood red suit huffed and glared at them with her pitch-black, demonic eyes.

"Who are you?!" Jean asked her white counterpart and looked at her curiously. She looked like herself, the same green eyes and pale skin, the same long and red hair. Just something and she couldn't point out what it was looked different about her.

"_You know who I am!"_

"I know that we talked before. It was you who showed me what things would have looked like, if things had turned out as they should. It was you who had showed me those horrible flashbacks…," Jean remembered and the woman simply smiled. "Still… Who are you?!"

"_I am neither you nor her,"_ the white Phoenix said and pointed at Jean first, then at Dark Phoenix who snarled in return. _"I am your balanced middle. I am life and fire incarnate, not evil or self-doubt, not chained and bound to anything the eye can see. I am the White Phoenix of the Crown. I am you finally accepting what you are!"_

"I know what I am," Jean replied and looked at the furious beast that was standing to her right. "I am passion and fury unleashed. An animal that wreaks havoc if unleashed…" Dark Phoenix nodded at her, smiling.

"_No!" _the White Phoenix said and came closer until they were facing each other directly. It was then that Jean finally realized what was different about her. That Phoenix was glowing, a golden shine was covering her from head to toe. She looked like a true divine Goddess. _"_She_ is a part of you for there is no light without shadow. But _I_ am _you_ accepting this! _I_ am _you _being in control of your full potential. Not _you_ being afraid to open your mind to it!"_

"You think I am afraid of accepting my fullest potential?" Jean asked and the Phoenix nodded. The redhead's eyes looked at Dark Phoenix. "I have seen what my potential is…"

"_That was you not being in control!" _the white phoenix said. _"You have the potential of a Goddess! You could have easily prevented all of this death and destruction, if you had accepted your powers for what they are!"_

"You say this is my fault?!"

"_Yes! And you know it is!"_

"_You used my power in rage and nearly killed Apocalypse,"_ Dark Phoenix was now saying. _"But you didn't kill him because you are too weakly minded!"_

"_You could have prevented all of this from happening, if you didn't let your fear get the better of you!" _the white phoenix added and stared right into Jean's eyes. _"You…can control this. You are ready to accept your full potential. You have long been ready! Fear can not be your companion here! Only a clear mind and heart can wield this power that lies within you."_

Jean held her gaze for a while before she avoided it. "What for? There's nothing left to fight for…"

"_There always is!" _both phoenixes said in unison before the white phoenix continued: _"Your friends believed in you! All you need to do is to believe in yourself and stop being a coward!" _She reached out her hand for Jean to take it. _"So what will it be? Acceptance or cowardice?"_

Jean looked at the hand, unsure of what to do. Apocalypse was too strong and too powerful… She couldn't do it…

"_Darlin'?"_

Jean startled and turned around in a rush, her eyes growing wide as Logan smiled back at her. Her Logan, unharmed, smiling and with his body intact. "Logan…"

"_Yer ready, darlin'! Ya can do it. I know ya can!" _he assured her.

"I can't do this alone…," she whispered and tried to bite back her tears that came anyway.

"_Yer not alone, Jeannie,"_ Logan replied and reached out to touch her chest. _"I'm here. We all are. And we believe in ya."_

A sob escaped her throat and she reached out to take his hand but touched air. "No…"

"_It's not gonna work this way, I'm afraid…," _he said with regret and looked down.

"Will we see each other again?" Jean asked, bracing herself against her hopes being crushed.

Logan shrugged. _"I don't think it's for us t'decide, darlin'… But if we'll have another shot, I'm gonna find ya!" _He felt the pull that was tugging on his body. _"I gotta go. Believe in yerself, Jeannie!"_

"Stay, please!" Jean begged and tried once more to grab his hand. The last thing of him that she saw was him giving her a wink and loving smile. Hugging herself, she kept her eyes closed and felt cold inside. What was she supposed to do? All alone? Her eyes fell upon the still outstretched hand that was directed at her and her gaze meet White Phoenix's eyes. There was a pull in her, a sudden want to touch that woman's hand. Slowly, she reached out but stopped right before their hands touched. What if this was another trap?

"_Trust yourself!"_ her opposite said and Jean finally took her hand.

She gasped aloud as warmth spread in her body like fire. Her whole body began to glow and radiate light as darkness claimed her again. As she came by she was looking straight at Apocalypse's back. He was not paying attention to her for he believed she was no threat anymore. Surprisingly, her body did not ache. It was as if he hadn't laid hand on her at all. Slowly, she got up and it wasn't before she was standing again that he turned to glare at her.

"I see we are not dead yet?" he mocked and turned fully around to face her. "So what will it be, Phoenix? Serve or die?"

Jean looked down at herself, confused that she was still wearing her old, black suit. Had she not fully accepted her powers in the end? Was she still weak? Her eyes grew wide and she jumped quickly aside as a shot was fired at her.

"Dying it is then," Apocalypse said and took aim again.

She saw the light coming towards her at rapid speed. Instinctively, she raised her hand and was surprised when the light crashed against an invisible wall.

"Still some fight left in you, I see… Well, as you wish. I intended to kill you quickly actually." He took aim again but froze in his movements as she got slowly up, her eyes on him too. He watched how her suit slowly changed from black to white and caught the surprise in her eyes at the change too. Not caring what this was about he launched the next attack, ready to kill her. It angered her that she blocked the attack effortlessly again and threw him back against the next wall, pinning him to it. "No…," he snarled and glared at her, forcing his molecules to fight against her attack. Still, he felt her powers ripping at his skin, burning it like fire. She was trying to tear him apart and obviously succeeding in it. "I'll kill you, you worthless insect!"

"Oh really?" Phoenix asked, her aura radiant with life. "I am life incarnate, you fool. I am a Goddess and you are nothing but a mere ant to me," she said, her eyes burning with fire. "I should have done this long ago and paid dearly for it."

"You can not beat me! I am the first mutant and immortal!" Apocalypse screeched and mobilized his whole body against her attack, but it was useless. She was tearing him to shreds.

"Immoral or not. Know that I will be prepared for your rebirth and that I will not wait this long again and have you kill so many innocent people," she warned him and strengthened her grip on his molecules. "Never…again!" she added, a phoenix made of flames coming out of her body and taking a threatening spot above her, facing Apocalypse. "And now be gone from this world!"

He joined the ear-deafening cry of the phoenix as she ripped him apart, vaporized his body without much effort since he was incapable of fighting such power. When the deed was done, Jean remained standing on the same spot, looking at where Apocalypse had been standing before. She hated herself for not accepting her potential sooner. She could have prevented all of this, could have destroyed him way earlier before he had brought the world to the brink of ruin. And now she was punished for her stupidity with living on in this hell…

Her head jerked aside as she heard a noise to her left. Not thinking twice about it she walked towards it and, after being sure the noise came from a spot behind that wall, waved her hand to open the first layer of golden tiles. A cage was behind it and no other than Wanda Maximoff was in it. Even without her medical degree Jean would have been able to tell that the woman was barely conscious anymore and weak. With her mind's power she pulled the cage out of the wall and placed it gently on the ground. She opened the door and used her mind once more to pull Wanda out of her prison. Kneeling down next to Magneto's daughter, Jean reached out to cup her cheek. "It's over…," she told her in a gentle voice and, judging by the look Wanda gave her, could tell that the woman hardly understood what she was saying. Sighing, Jean turned her head and looked outside, saw that the troops were still standing, the same destruction still present. She had no idea how to change this mess… There was just too much destruction all around the world by now.

Jean's attention returned to the woman that was leaning against her heavily and an idea came to her mind. Wanda could alter reality, she could, as Logan had told her, make things right again. And Jean, as she had proven more than once, could access other mutants' powers by sheer will. She could easily use Wanda's powers and combine them with hers. Fire had to be fought with fire, so she would fight all this destruction with destruction in return. In the end, she was fire incarnate and if she could rise up from the ashes, she hoped the destroyed world could too.

"Wanda?" Jean asked and the brunette raised her head weakly. "I need you to do something for me."

"What?" Wanda breathed and met Jean's gaze.

"Open your mind for me," the redhead said and touched the woman's temples, concentrating on her mind and everything around her. She searched Wanda's mind, forced her to use her powers to their fullest potential despite her weakened body. Wanda gasped aloud as she felt Jean's powers surging through her body and tried to fight her off, but she was too weak. Her mind was forced open, her vision disappeared as the Phoenix took control. After the redhead had found what she was looking for she let go of her powers. From space a fiery glow that spread around the globe rapidly could be seen. The earth began to softly rumble first worldwide. Those humans and mutants that had been spared from destruction and had still been out of Apocalypse's reach gave the ground a confused look. Their eyes looked upwards at the sky as this one changed to a fiery orange and soon fear spread around them like a virus as the rumble turned into a full-fledged earthquake that tore the ground open and split the earth right to its core. Fire shot out of the ground, statues and buildings collapsed due to a heavy storm and the shaking of the earth, an avalanche of ashes hunted those that tried to flee through the streets. People ran for their lives, screaming in fear, clutching their children or partners to their bodies as they ran. The earth tore open right before them, taking them down to the earth's core and burning them to ashes. Far away in Australia, Kyle and his parents stared at the sky and their surroundings in shock, trying to figure out what was going on all of a sudden. Unseen of them and anyone else first, a psychic wave made of fire spread from Washington D.C. to every corner of the world, turning everything in its way to ashes, leaving burned corpses everywhere and didn't leave anything alive behind. The White Phoenix of the Crown, with Wanda's body, whose spirit was long gone in her arms, was kneeling on the same spot in the middle of the pyramid, burning like fire and life itself. A smile was visible on her lips as she felt life fading on the planet. As she felt no life remaining and knew she was the only living being left, she closed her eyes as the psychic wave returned to her. While the ring of fire that was still visible in space became a firebird whose wings spread and then covered earth in an eternal sleep, the wave claimed their last victim and didn't leave anything but ashes behind…

**So this was the final chapter of Changes - War. I'm sorry for the long wait but I really hardly had any time for writing. I hope you liked the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know!**


	23. Epilogue 1

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Here is the first part of the Epilogue. **

**The Epilogue will contain everything that happens in the future. The chapters will be much shorter and contain episodes that take place at different points in time. It will also include the children growing up, who they will end up with and what will become of them. So, no, Changes is not over, yet. ; ) It was only the end to War.**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 1**

He opened his eyes and blinked against the light that fell right into his face, warming him. He stretched and yawned before his eyes fell on the arm that was hugging him from behind. He wondered what time it was. Reaching out, he took his mobile phone that lay on the bedside table and, if he hadn't lain in bed, would have dropped on his butt. It was way past afternoon. He never slept that long. Confused, he ran a hand through his raven black hair and tried to remember what happened hours before. Had he partied? Had he stayed up long and been working? If he had partied long, maybe even until the early morning, he must have been drunk as hell. He couldn't remember shit. But then again…why didn't his head hurt? Even with his healing factor he got hangovers, often pretty bad ones.

Behind him someone made a noise and he turned briefly to look at the person sharing his bed. Maybe that one had an answer to his confusion? Stretching once more, he got up and walked over to the window. The sun was way up in a blue sky, New York lively as ever. He leant his arm against the cool window and watched the cars passing by way down underneath his apartment window. New York… Why was he here again?! What had he been doing yesterday? Thinking hard, he figured that he couldn't also remember what he had been doing the day before that. It was like trying to remember a black hole… Maybe he had injured himself and had a temporary amnesia?!

"Morning…"

He turned and looked straight into loving eyes. He allowed the hug from behind and also the gentle kiss to the side of his neck. Still…confusion didn't vanish. It was quite the opposite actually. He felt like he had to be somewhere else.

"What's the matter, grumpy-head? Still too early?" came the gentle mock from behind and he was kissed once more before he was finally let go.

He definitely had to be somewhere else… But where? And why? Not thinking twice about it, he went to the wardrobe to get dressed. A move that earned him a quite confused look.

"Where are you going, Jean-Paul?" Kyle asked and put the mug he had been drinking coffee from aside.

"What did we do yesterday?" Skyblue eyes met confused chocolate-brown ones.

"Are you kidding? You didn't drink that much…" Kyle put the mug aside and walked over to him. "Are you feeling well, babe?" he asked and reached out to touch Jean-Paul's cheek.

"I… Not sure. I can't remember shit…"

Chuckling, Kyle wiggled a finger at him. "Partied too hard at your own stag party, huh?" he joked and turned to head for the bathroom. "There better not be a video on Youtube of you cheating on me, babe! I'll check upon it later!" he added and disappeared in the bathroom.

"Stag party…," Jean-Paul muttered and ran his hand through his raven black hair. He couldn't remember shit… Shaking his head, he put on sunglasses and a jacket and walked back over to the window. He needed to be somewhere else. That was the only thing he definitely knew. Not thinking twice about it, he jumped out of the window and started flying.

* * *

At the same time, in some run down motel close to New York a blonde awoke in the bed and opened her eyes. She smiled at the man to her right and reached out to touch him underneath the covers. With a start the man sat up and she giggled. "Found the right spot, huh?" she said seductively and leant in to nib on his neck. "What's the matter, sugar? Fucked your brains out?" She giggled once more as he gave her a confused look, narrowed eyes looking at her before he raised the covers to look underneath it. "Yep, definitely fucked your brains out." Laughing, she reached behind her to grab a pack of cigarettes. "Want one?" she offered but he brushed her hand away and got up to get dressed.

"Who the fuck are ya?" Logan growled and put the shirt over his head after putting on his worn down jeans. Where the hell was he? How had he gotten here? Who was that woman? And where the hell was Jean?!

"Asshole!" the blonde snapped at him and he ducked as she threw a half-empty bottle of cheap vodka at him. "Get out of here!"

"With pleasure!" he grunted and grabbed his leather jacket on his way out before he slammed the door shut behind him. "Jesus…" Logan ran both hands over his face and searched his pockets. No phone. No keys. Ingenious… He walked up to the street and looked to his left and right. He had no idea where the hell he was or how he'd gotten here. Judging from the plates on the passing cars he was still in New York. Great. Now he only had to figure where and how to get back home. Looking back at the motel, he heaved a deep breath. Speak of one helluva screw-up… Shaking his head, he started walking.

* * *

As the sunshine shone right into his face Scott stretched and sighed contently. A smile became visible on his lips as hands that were draped around his middle hugged him tighter. "Don't you dare getting up!" he was threatened from behind and chuckled.

Turning, he pressed the blonde closer to his body and kissed her. "I don't intend to," he smiled and ran a hand through her hair. He was about to kiss her again as a high-pitched wail echoed through the room. Scott sighed and lowered his head.

"Come on, daddy. They let us sleep through the night," the blonde snickered and let herself fall back into the soft covers. She had just closed her eyes again, still smiling to herself, as another wail could be heard.

"Well, mommy, I think you need to get your lazy ass up," Scott grinned and watched how the blonde got up, changing her look to blue skin and red hair. He changed his daughter's diapers, cooing at her lovingly. After he was done, he pulled her up into his arms. "Hungry, Sara?" he asked and let her play with his pinky, waiting for Raven.

"What about Alex?" she asked and kissed Sara's twin, Ruby, on the cheek.

"I put the baby phone on. Let him sleep a while longer," Scott suggested and opened the door for her. Together they walked downstairs towards the kitchen. They passed the front door and halted as it was opened from the outside.

"Hey, can ya lend me some money?" Logan asked and nodded at the annoyed taxi driver behind him.

"Uhm…how much?" Scott asked.

"Say…92 bucks?" Logan shrugged and Scott nearly dropped his daughter.

"You are kidding, Logan, right?!" he asked and looked at the taxi driver who said something in some angry language he didn't understand. "Hold her…," he sighed and jogged back to his room.

"Where the hell have you been? You look like shit!" Raven commented on Logan's looks.

"I have no idea! Better tell me what day it is, why I was in the middle of nowhere 'n what the fuck's goin' on!" Logan grunted and gave the girl in his arms a brief look.

"You don't know?" Raven asked incredulously and shook her head.

Logan huffed and saw that Scott was already on his way back, looking sour. "Tell me, Sherlock. Lookin' at the two of ya, it must be weekend…"

Raven rolled her eyes. "It's…," she began and paused. Which day was it?

"Here!" Scott handed the driver a 100 dollar bill, which the man gladly took and left. "Hey! My change!" Scott shouted but the man replied in the same angry language and got back into his car to drive away. "You owe me!" he snapped at Logan and took his daughter again. "And do me a favor and take a shower. You smell worse than the seediest bar!"

"Scott?" Raven asked and he met her gaze. "What day is it?"

"You don't know?"

"Nope…," Logan growled and crossed his arms.

"Drank too much, huh?"

"Just tell me, for fuck's sake!"

Scott shook his head. "It's…" He paused too, thinking hard, then turned to look at Raven.

Logan looked to and fro between them. "So ya don't know either?" he asked and let out a relieved sigh. "Thank God… Please tell me ya also don't remember anything that happened before today 'n I'm happy!" he added and waited, but all Scott and Raven did was staring at each other in shock. "There's a God!"

"I…," Raven began but shook her head. "What's going on?"

"No idea. But I'll find out!" Logan promised and headed down the corridor.

"Logan?" Scott called after him and their eyes met. "Shower!" After he was flipped off he turned to Raven. "Okay, so I don't remember anything that happened before I woke up. You too?"

"Yes. I don't remember anything… I didn't realize first."

"We need to go and talk to the Professor!" Scott took her hand and dragged her along with him.

"I'll get two bottles first. We meet there."

"Okay." Nodding, Scott headed towards the office.

In the meantime, Logan was on his way to the gym to take a shower. He sniffed and came to a halt, waiting for his son to come around the corner. He smiled at Jack, who gave him a indefinable look back. "Hey…"

"Fuck off, dad!" Jack snapped and walked past him without even looking at him once.

"Watch yer mouth, kid!" Logan scolded him and couldn't hide his shock as the hateful look his son gave him.

"Since when do you care?!" Jack asked and went his way.

"What the hell is goin' on here?!" Logan wondered. Shaking his head, he went to have a shower.

On the opposite side of the mansion, Scott opened the door to Xavier's office. "Professor, I need to…," he began and was surprised to find nearly the whole team already gathered in the room. "Okay… Let me guess, you can't remember anything that happened before you woke up. Am I right?"

"I'm afraid so, Scott…," the Professor nodded and had a rather dark look on his face. He looked into the round and ticked off a mental list of who was still missing. "Logan?"

"Hopefully taking a shower…," Scott muttered and frowned as someone landed in the garden. He walked over to the window, watching their guest. "What's Northstar doing here?"

"I have no idea," Charles said and watched the speedster standing close to the woods, looking at it thoughtfully. "Can I help you, Jean-Paul?" he asked the man mentally and saw him startling at the sudden intrusion from afar.

In less than a blink of an eye Jean-Paul stood next to him. "I'm sorry for trespassing."

"It's quite all right. We are just surprised," Charles smiled. "You look quite confused."

Jean-Paul huffed. "Oui…" He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I better go."

"I am not mistaken that you too can't remember anything from before you woke up?"

This had him stop dead in his tracks. "How do you…?"

"Because we have the same problem," Scott said. "I woke up next to Raven. We both don't even know which date or year it is…"

Northstar looked to and fro between them. "Well, I obviously was on my own stag party yesterday, woke up next to my fiancé and have the strong feeling that I am supposed to meet someone there." He pointed at the spot in the garden where he had been standing before. "However, I don't know why or who… But I know that I am supposed to meet someone…" He looked up as the door opened and Logan, freshly showered entered the room, accompanied by Raven, who handed Scott a bottle and had little Alex on her free hand. "Salut!" he greeted Logan, who nodded in return.

"Jean ain't here?"

"No, she's picking up Hank. She should arrive any moment though," Charles told him and received a nod. He took notice of Jean-Paul staring at the same spot in the garden once more, thoughtfully and began to wonder what all of this was about. Had they been attacked? Had someone wiped their memories? But why felt he so out of place here?

"I should go," Northstar announced and was gone before Charles could stop him.

"Any idea what this's about?" Logan grunted while he was leaning against the window, arms crossed and looking outside.

"I'm afraid no…" Charles steepled his fingers and was lost in thoughts. He wasn't surprised as a _bamf_ announced Kurt's entrance, nor that only a moment later the door was opened and Ororo entered, followed by Hank and, finally, Jean.

"Does anyone know what's going on?" the weather goddess asked and sat down next to Kurt.

"I'm afraid no, Ororo." A frown became visible on Charles' face as he noticed the way Jean was looking at Logan. It was a mixture between utter relief and sadness. Almost as if she hadn't seen him in years. "Jean?" he was about to ask as she headed over to Logan and pulled him into a tight hug. One look at the feral confirmed his suspicion. Something was definitely wrong. Logan looked confused and guilty. Jean relieved. Why would she look relieved, if she had the same lack of memories than they had? She knew something…

"I'm so glad…," the redhead breathed into Logan's neck and ignored the guilty look in his eyes as she caressed his cheek and kissed him.

"Jean?" Charles asked, voice stern and she turned her head to meet his gaze. "Mind explaining what's going on and what you did to our minds?" he asked and the whole room looked at her.

Biting her lip, she lowered her gaze. "I…"

"Ya did that?" Logan asked and made a step back in surprise.

"I can explain…," Jean assured him.

"I hope so!" Scott muttered and pulled his daughter close to his chest.

"But we need to quite extend this group first," Jean added and looked Charles right in the eye, hoping that he understood what she meant. "I need the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight and some more to be here. It concerns them too…"

"I make the calls," he said and touched his temple to start concentrating on all the minds he was looking for.

* * *

After flying around for a good while without any particular direction to go, Northstar somehow ended up in a bar in L.A. that at least had decent booze and good music. He never drank early, if at all, but somehow he felt so depressed and crushed that he didn't care. He stood at the bar, surprised at how crowded the place already was at this hour and sipped on a cocktail. His fifth or so at least. Something weird was going on, that was for sure. But what, somehow, mattered most to him was that he wanted to know who that person was he was supposed to meet. He wanted a name, a face, a memory, something… Emptying the glass he ordered a new one straight afterwards.

"Aren't you that famous extreme sports guy?" the bartender asked and Northstar looked up.

"You must mistake me for someone else," he simply said, not feeling in the mood to take photos or sign embarrassing pictures that had been taken from the net or do anything else. No fan service today. He wanted to be miserable.

"Really? Could swear you look like that Beaubier guy. Heard he's getting hitched in two days," the guy said and went on cleaning the glass in his hand.

"Two days?" Northstar muttered. "Awesome…."

"Getting cold feet, huh?" his opposite chuckled.

"As I said… You mistake me for someone else…" Jean-Paul took the cocktail and downed it. He was fucked. He couldn't call off that wedding. The media would be all over it. It would damage his reputation and company. It would damage Kyle's name too. "Merde…," he cursed and buried his hands in his hair, shaking his head. How was he supposed to get out of that mess unharmed?

"Those angry wrinkles don't suit such a handsome face," a smooth, silky voice said next to him and he looked up just to look straight into dark chocolate brown eyes and at the most beautiful face he had ever seen on a guy. And he had seen a lot!

"Can't help it," he shrugged and the guy in front of him smirked. Damn was that guy beautiful or what?

"Maybe I can cheer you up?" the stranger, who didn't seem to be a stranger at all somehow, suggested and invaded his personal space unbashfully.

Jean-Paul let out a laugh and nodded knowingly. "You're not the shy type, huh?"

"No. You can say I just take what I want," the stranger said and the look in his eyes pretty much screamed predator. "So… What will it be?" he asked and covered Northstar's hand with his, stroking the skin. "You're handsome, you caught my eye and I am pretty sure I can cheer you up."

Northstar looked at the stranger in front of him. He was no cheater. But there was something about that guy that drew him towards him. It just felt right. But how could it feel right if they had never met before? He looked at their hands thoughtfully, at least as thoughtful as he was capable of with all that booze in his system. It felt right… "Screw this," he said and paid for his drinks, hopping off the stool he'd been sitting on. "Let's go!"

"Right choice!" the stranger smirked and gave him a dazzling smile. To hell with that smooth voice that sent goosebumps all over his skin. He followed the guy through the mass of people, wondered how any guy could sway his hips like this and still look masculine. The guy definitely had a great taste in clothes. All eyes seemed to be on him and him only. Okay, on himself too, but that stranger drew definitely more attention. He wondered if he was some kind of model. He definitely looked like one. Northstar had to give him that. On the outside the stranger nodded at a very expensive looking car. "Hop in," he said and opened the doors.

"Wait!" Jean-Paul said before the stranger had a chance to get into his car.

"What? Second thoughts?"

"No, I'm not a fan of anonymous fucks though."

The man nodded. "I see. You want a name to scream, huh?" the man asked, smirking that shit-eating smirk of his and rested his chin on his arm that was leaning against the roof of his black car.

"Aren't we reserved?" Northstar mocked at this much straight-forwardness and the man laughed. It was a nice laugh. "Jean-Paul."

"Beaubier, I know. You are that hot extreme sport guy with that sexy photoshoot in this boring sport magazine that the bartender had behind his bar. Shame you had your clothes on though. Your eyes are to die for," the stranger smirked and Jean-Paul's heart skipped a beat. "And no, I'm no stalker. You just caught my eye and I happened to see you on that mag cover. So I asked Henry if he mind me reading it. I'm pretty sure he was dying to get your signature on it. But well…." He sighed and extended his hand over the roof of his car. "If it makes you happy. I'm Daken Akihiro. Now hop in." Smirking, he disappeared in his car and what else could Northstar do than follow this enticing stranger?

* * *

After the Professor had told them that a meeting would take place later that day since all other teams still needed to fly over to the mansion, the small group had split and left either in order to have breakfast or to talk. Most of them were sitting in the kitchen, talking and discussing the current happenings.

"I swear I don't remember shit," Bobby said and was chewing on his pancake that Hank had cooked just recently. "I woke up this morning and everything was fine. Until…I tried to remember what I'd done yesterday before I went to bed."

"You're not the only one here, Bobby," Ororo sighed and finished cutting the pancakes for her youngest before she handed Tommy a fork. "I can't believe Jean would mess with our heads like this…"

"Maybe she got a reason?" Kitty shrugged.

"She violated the base rule of being a psychic," Hank told her grimly. "Never mess with other peoples' minds. No matter what the reason she had no right!"

"We should just wait for everyone to arrive before we judge her," Scott cut in on them. "Jean has a reason. I'm sure of it. She would never abuse her powers like that for nothing."

"I agree," Raven nodded and smiled at her daughter in her arms. "Let's just wait and see as Scott said…" She looked up as she noticed Logan leaning against a tree in the garden, watching the children playing with each other. She wondered why he looked even more troubled than they felt. She wondered what he was thinking about and saw that Jack and Lily were walking past him, ignoring their father until he addressed them. Raven, as well as the others could very well hear the brief conversation due to the back door being half open already.

"Why don't you just piss off again?!" Jack shouted and slammed the door shut behind him, storming out of the kitchen with his sister and right past his mother.

Jean gave them a sad look and went straight to the outside to join Logan. She had noticed how the children reacted to Logan being there and wondered what must have happened for them to hate him so much. Reaching him, she touched his arm but he shrugged her off. "Logan…"

"Leave me alone, Jean…" Again with the avoiding eyes.

"Why are you shutting me out?" she wondered and waited but he remained silent. "Is it because of what I did?"

He shook his head.

"But?" she asked and waited once more.

"Just leave me alone…," he muttered and walked away, leaving her standing there, stunned.

* * *

Jean-Paul heaved a deep breath and, while lying on his stomach, turned his head to rest it on his arms and to look at Daken, who had gotten up to pour some wine into two glasses. He'd call it the greatest sex he ever had. That was, if he could remember ever having sex before. He was sure the wine was as expensive as this hotel room and everything that had to deal with that man. He even smelled expensive, "Are you some kind of important model that I should know?" was out of his mouth before he was able to stop himself.

Daken laughed aloud and turned around to come back over to the bed with its silky linen, totally unashamed that he was stark naked. "No," he replied and smirked at the way Jean-Paul's eyes travelled all over his body as he handed him the glass. "Like what you see, sweetness?" He smirked at the look he was receiving and emptied his glass.

Northstar sighed as his phone rang and reached out to take it. As soon as he saw the caller ID he dropped it on the bedside table again.

"Someone important?" Daken asked and propped himself on his right arm.

"The man I'm supposed to marry soon…," Northstar muttered with a sigh.

"Hm… Doesn't sound so happy…"

Their eyes met and they held each other's gaze for a while. "Why does it feel as if I know you for a long time?" Jean-Paul said out loud and uttered a course. "Sorry, stupid question. Forget it."

Daken smirked. "I'm just that popular." He shrugged. "So what about that future husband? Shouldn't you be with him now?"

"Yeah…," Jean-Paul mumbled and began to draw circles on the bed sheet.

"But?"

"You wouldn't believe it anyway…"

"Try me." Daken shrugged and settled on his stomach, resting his chin on his arms, looking up at Northstar like some kid that was waiting for a bedtime story.

"Stop being cute!" the speedster rolled his eyes.

"I'm _not_ cute!" Daken narrowed his eyes. "So?"

Jean-Paul sighed. "I woke up this morning, next to Kyle, not remembering anything from my life before that very moment. I don't know which year it is, which day it is, I don't know why I am in New York or how I've even gotten there, I don't even remember getting engaged to him. It's like…waking up with your mind completely blank. All I knew was that I was supposed to meet someone very important to me. But I don't know who. There's no face. I just know that I am supposed to meet that person at a specific place…" He paused, realizing how ridiculous he sounded and ran a hand over his face and through his hair. "Great. Now you must think I am a complete wacko…," he added and looked up, just to frown. Daken had sat up and was staring at him with furrowed brows and an expression in his eyes that could be described as shock. Northstar sat up with a start. But before he could address the issue Charles Xavier invaded his mind again.

"_Jean-Paul, I need you to come back to the mansion immediately. We know what happened to us and we can make it right again."_

"What?" Daken asked, the look completely gone from his face.

"I need to go…," Jean-Paul said, disturbed, and reached for his clothes. He felt Daken's eyes upon him while he got dressed and thought about what to do after he was done. His eyes darted towards the desk to his far left and he went over to scribble something down. As he walked back, he looked at the small note and then at the feral, who had gotten up to put on his pants. Their eyes met. "In case… Well, just take it," he said and handed him the note before he put on his jacket and went over to the window.

"What are you doing?" Daken asked and put the note into his back pocket.

"I need to head back over to New York."

"Through the window…," he said in disbelief and received a smirk.

"Speedster," Jean-Paul said and opened the window. He gave the cars way underneath him a brief look. "Why a room all the way up?" he asked.

"I like being on top," Daken shrugged and leant against the wall next to the window. "So did I manage to cheer you up?"

He looked so smug that Northstar couldn't help but chuckle. He pulled him in for a kiss. "Oui. I've gotta go," he said and jumped, leaving Daken to watch him disappear at the horizon.

* * *

The room was utterly silent. No one dared to say a word or even breathe after what they had just witnessed and experienced. The Fantastic Four and X-Men were standing next to the Avengers, Alpha Flight sitting right next to S.H.I.E.L.D., the Brotherhood standing close to the window, whereas Daredevil, Elektra and Ghost Rider were scattered around the groups. In the middle of them Jean had long dropped her hand from her temple and her eyes were green again. It took her a moment before she dared to look up at her friends. She only hoped they would not hate her.

It was Charles who dared to speak first. "Jean… What you did…"

"Was necessary, Charles. There was no way for me to beat Apocalypse and leave the world like this. It was destroyed, too many lives lost," she defended her decision. "Besides…it was your idea to use Wanda like this. It's what Logan told me before he sacrificed himself."

"Not like this!" Erik disagreed.

"Well it worked out, didn't it?" she spat and glared at him. "Besides you used me, all of you did and no one told me of your actual plan before it was too late! I did what I thought was best. I made Wanda concentrate on an alternate reality to ours and transferred each mind that I could find to this reality. It wouldn't have worked out without destroying and rebuilding earth. We live, no one died, Apocalypse is gone. Next time we go on a suicide mission, let me know in advance!" She was breathing hard in anger and felt alone as ever with all of them staring at her.

"I don't get your problem," Cap said and referred to everyone but Jean. "She made things right again, didn't she? It was what we've discussed and planned and agreed upon."

"Yes, but things aren't as right as they were supposed to be," Fury replied.

"No they aren't…," Tony muttered and gave Pepper, who was standing at the opposite site of the room a look. "But we can work things out now that we remember, can't we?"

"We first have to find those that are missing!" Heather cut in. "John, Victor, Daken… What if they are not part of this reality? What if some of our enemies that we beat in our old reality are still alive?"

"What if they are our enemies?" Erik asked and the room fell silent. "And obviously the Wolverine has nothing to say to this mess at all. Is it too much to handle for your limited brain capacities?"

"Erik!" Charles warned but Magneto only smirked.

"We have more important things to focus on…," Scott intervened, his heart still beating fast. "We need to find those that are not here with us. We need to figure out what has happened in this reality so far, what humanity thinks about us, the enemies that are still alive here…"

"I hate to say it but I agree…" Magneto crossed his arms over his chest. He raised his eyebrows as Northstar suddenly landed in the middle of the room.

"What is it?" he asked Charles and looked around the room, taking everything in. "We're in deep shit or why is everyone here?!" he wondered and gave Jean a confused look as she reached out to touch his temple. "Wh…," he began as imaged began to pour into his mind, his eyes grew wide, staring back at hers as she forced him to remember. A gasp escaped him after she let finally go and he stumbled backwards, only caught by the Professor's desk.

"Jean-Paul?" Charles asked, concerned since neither of them had reacted as the speedster had.

"Is 'e alright?" Remy asked and helped the speedster to steady himself. "Mon ami?" he asked since the man in his arms was breathing hard.

"Maybe you should sit down, JP," Scott suggested and helped Remy to steady the speedster. "You look like you've seen a ghost…"

"I have…," Jean-Paul mumbled and stared at Logan with wide eyes, the feral cocking an eyebrow at him. "Hiro… I was with him just a moment ago."

"You know where Akihiro is?" Charles asked and received a nod. "Do you think you could persuade him to come here?"

"If he's still in L.A. then…," Jean-Paul began before he headed over to the door and was gone in less than a blink of an eye.

Tony, who had been silently watching the exchange, was looking to and fro between all of them. "Sorry, but… You are more surprised with them knowing each other already than you are with them banging _and_ knowing each other already?!" he asked into the round.

"Tony…," Pepper and Rhodey groaned at the same time with a roll of their eyes.

"Right, right…," he waved off. "I know I shouldn't be surprised with them banging each other without even knowing each other at all. Forget what I said." He heaved a deep breath and fumbled with his shirt for a moment. "Okay, no, don't forget what I said! What is it with these two?! Why is he getting to bang him and I wake up in a world where Pepper hates my guts?! How is that fair?!"

"Tony…," Pepper hissed and gave him a warning look. "I don't hate you anymore, okay? Everything will be fine."

"No, it's not!"

"Why?"

"Where's our baby, huh?" he demanded to know, his face completely serious. "I was looking forward to us having a baby. When I was dying I only thought of never being able to see you and our baby again ever. And now here we are and…"

"Tony, shut up!" Rhodey cut him off and pointed at Pepper's belly. "I think your Iron Baby is pretty much in here. Except Pepper swallowed a water melon whole. Sorry, Peps!"

Tony crossed his arms, pouting. "Maybe in this reality it's a War Baby or…Baby Machine or… Maybe it's Happy's! How am I supposed to know?!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"He actually has a point…," Banner and Barton said at the same time, shrugging as eyes fell on them.

Sighing, Logan shook his head and wordlessly left the room. He had almost reached the back door as he couldn't ignore Jean calling his name anymore.

"What is it with you, Logan?" she asked and this time he actually met her eyes. "You remember us, you remember what happened, so why are you acting like this?" Jean waited and tried to read in his eyes but noticed once more that he was shutting her out. "Why are you not letting me in?" she asked and he looked down. Having enough of it, she took his hand into hers and made him look at her again. "I will make the children remember us as we were. They won't hate you anymore! Everything will be all right…"

"No, it won't…," he grunted and shook his head, withdrawing his hand.

"Why? Talk to me! Did I do anything that upset you?" Jean demanded to know clearly shaken.

"When ya woke up… Where were ya?" Logan asked and she began to frown.

"In our bed. You weren't there…"

He nodded and looked away again. "Wanna know why?"

"I only want to know what is troubling you so much, Logan…"

"I woke up next t'some blonde chick in a motel… I had t'pay nearly 100 bucks in order t'get back here," he admitted and was glad he didn't see the shadow crossing her face at the revelation. "I guess we weren't as happy here as we were in our reality… Don't ya think?" he asked bitterly and loathed himself even more now than he did since waking up.

"You didn't cheat on me, Logan… The other you did. And this you isn't here. You are!" Jean told him after a while and came closer to hug him from behind. "You're loathing yourself… Don't do that!"

He huffed and shook his head once more. Her powers helped her to turn him around and he soon found her lips pressed against his in a tender kiss.

"I'm not angry with you because it wasn't you who did that. And I also don't care if our other versions weren't happy. I care about _us_! And we are here. Our children are here and that's all that matters to me."

"Stop bein' do damn persuasive…," Logan grunted and gave a small smile back as she gave him a broad one. He couldn't help but hug her to his chest tightly. "I wish I'd been there… I should've been…"

"You were there, Logan. It was you who gave me the strength to believe in my abilities," she muttered into his neck and held him as close as possible. "Without you I wouldn't have been able to turn into the white phoenix and to beat Apocalypse…"

"Well obviously I'm good for somethin'…"

Both looked up when Northstar came to a halt next to them. "I searched nearly all of L.A.," he breathed and shook his head. "He's not there anymore. No one has seen him either."

"We'll find him!" Jean assured him.

"I'm supposed to marry my actual ex-boyfriend tomorrow, Jean. My career and company are at stake. I need to find him NOW!" Jean-Paul said and ran a hand through his raven black hair. "I knew he was important the moment I met him. Why didn't I listen to my feeling? Damn it!"

"I promise you, I'll find him!" Jean assured him once more. "Just let me set the minds of my children straight and I will start working on finding Akihiro." She gave his shoulder a squeeze and Logan another kiss before she left the room.

"Wedding tomorrow, huh?" Logan grunted. "Obviously yer as screwed as I am… Want a beer?" he asked and walked over to the fridge.

"Got anything stronger?" Jean-Paul asked back and sat down at the counter.

"Yeah. That is if my fuckin' other me got the decency t'have a privat stack. Be right back."

"Fuck my life…," the speedster cursed and turned to look at the spot close to the woods where he had promised to meet Daken again. He had to find him. No matter what the costs…

**Hope you liked the first part. Please leave a review because they are the motivation to keep on writing this story!**


	24. Announcement

6/7/13 Due to lack of response to the Epilogue compared to the huge amount of visitors ( 1 review, but 20+ visitors let alone in June) and previous number of responses I'm considering discontinuing the Epilogue chapters.

I simply don't feel like putting so much time and energy into writing them next to my full-time job as a teacher and finishing college, if there's no interest anymore. I like reading your reviews because they always motivate me in going on writing Changes and because some of them tell me what you thought and liked/disliked about the chapter.

I still got a lot of pre-written stuff here, some pages were alredy created way back while I was writing on the first sequel.

So let me know if the interest is still there!

6/9/13 Thanks for the view who left a review! Dunno why posted this announcement so late. I read about a hacker who attacked the site. Maybe the problem lay with that. So thanks!


	25. Epilogue 2

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Thank you so much for the positive support and all the comments you've left! : )**

**I don't have the tome right now to get back at all of you (it's way past midnight and I have to get to work at 5 a.m.), so feel hugged!**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 2**

Jean sat on her bed and looked at her sleeping children. Her work was done, their minds set straight. From now on they only remembered what they had experienced in the other reality, had their memories back of their loving friends and family and not the broken family they had been here. Jean had read their memories. Too strong was the desire to find out why they hated Logan so much and what had happened to cause such a great rift between father and children. She hadn't liked what she had seen at all…

Not only had Logan and she been fighting on a daily basis, and not just yelling and slamming doors mind you, they had been at a full on war and obviously come to hate each other's guts with a passion. The children had too often watched them fighting until it escalated and had blamed their father for it, who had been absent most of the time anyway and either drank too much alcohol or picked up fights or some nameless woman on a constant basis. In contrast to the Logan she knew and loved this version didn't like spending time with the children he created and saw them as an annoying fact that bound him to a relationship he didn't want anymore. Jean wondered how they could have been so happy in one reality and so broken in the next…

Sighing, she gave each of their children a kiss on the cheek, felt glad that all of them, even Laura, were here. She wondered though, if they had been born on the same day as she had given birth to them in the reality she knew. Jake and Jamie seemed to be very close in age, their height and weight difference almost not visible. Her eyes fell on Miloh and Callie who were both sleeping at her feet. She hoped she hadn't messed up their minds too much. In the end, she had never manipulated an animal's mind before. Making a mental note to herself to check up on her children's birth dates, she heaved a deep breath and began to concentrate on the mind she had promised to find.

In the meantime, Narya was waiting in front of Cerebro with Scott, Magneto and James. Charles had disappeared behind the door minutes ago, feeling like hours to her. She kept on praying that he would find John and his daughter and return both of them to her arms. As a metallic noise announced the opening of Cerebro's doors she looked up, holding her breath. But Charles smiled. "Did you find them?"

"I did. John is actually in New York. Victor is in Canada. I sent the coordinates to the X-jet and Scott's car."

"Is John alright?" Narya asked, hopefully. "And is Anna with him?"

Charles nodded. "You better take Jean with you. She can set their minds straight upon finding them."

"Will do," Scott nodded and beckoned the group to follow him to the jet.

After Jean had been told about the upcoming mission she went to her rooms in order to get changed. To her surprise, Logan was sitting on the edge of their bed and looking at their still sleeping children. "Hey," she smiled and was glad as he smiled back at her. "We'll be retrieving John and Victor. I should be back in a few hours."

"Ya found'em?" he asked and got up.

She nodded. "Charles located them. It shouldn't take long."

He watched her changing into her spare-uniform that always hung in their wardrobe. The past hours since waking up flashed past his eyes and he sighed. He went over to wrap his arms around her middle and kissed her cheek and neck lovingly. "Be careful!"

Smiling, Jean turned in his arms and leant in to kiss him fully on the lips. "I will," she assured him and stroked his cheek lovingly. "The children will be asleep for a while. Could you do me a favor?"

"Anythin'," he said, still holding her close.

"I wanted to check upon their birth certificates and see if their birthdates are the same as in our old life. Jamie and Jake seem to be nearly the same age…"

He turned his head to look at them and nodded. "I noticed that too. Can do that. Just be careful."

"I will be." Kissing him once more she let go of him and walked over to the door, not seeing the look he was giving her.

"I love ya…"

Smiling, Jean turned once more. "I love you too. See you in a bit." She was about to close the door as her mind picked up on something.

"What's the matter, darlin'?" Logan asked as she stared at him with wide eyes. Concerned, he walked over to her and touched her shoulder. "What is it?!"

Taking his hand, she pulled him over to the balcony and stepped out, her eyes searching the garden restlessly. She looked past the pond, at a spot close to the wood and was sure she had seen someone disappearing behind a tree trunk just now. "Follow me!" she told Logan and began running towards their front door, Logan, confused as hell, close behind her, following her down the stairs, then the corridor and through the kitchen towards the backdoor.

"Never knew, ya were fast like that…," he muttered and tried to catch his breath whereas she was once more staring at the spot close to the entrance of the woods where Northstar had landed. "What did ya see?"

"I thought I…," Jean began as her mind began to tingle once more. "No, I'm sure…" She touched her temples with her fingertips and closed her eyes, her body radiating a warm light as she began to search the grounds.

Still confused, Logan was cocking an eyebrow at her, then looked around the garden and tried to figure out what she had seen. His senses didn't pick up on anything unusual. The sooner her body had begun to burn, the sooner it stopped and she heaved a deep breath. "Wanna tell me what this is about?"

"You'll see. I've gotta go," was all Jean said, smiling, and gave his hand a squeeze before she disappeared on the inside.

"Women… I'll never understand them…," Logan muttered and wanted to follow her back inside, but something told him to go and check out the specific spot she had been staring at. Lazily, he walked over, hands in his pockets, as a noise caught his attention. His head jerked aside and the claws slid out as he took a defensive stance, a growl building in his throat as he saw a shadow leaning against a tree trunk. "Who's there?" Logan barked and moved closer, his eyes narrowed to slits and teeth bared. "Show yerself!" The figure raised his head and his breath caught in his throat, the claws slowly retracting as hazel eyes looked straight into chocolate brown ones.

* * *

"We didn't stood a chance," Daken told his father in his native tongue and was staring ahead at the woods out of which the Devils had come and in which he had found his end. "So I used that bomb Stark had given me in hope to kill the original. I guess I failed…"

"Ya didn't fail, son," Logan replied in Japanese and put a hand to the younger feral's shoulder. "Ya did what ya could. Ya sacrificed yerself in hope t'be able t'win. I'm proud of ya." He smirked and nodded as Daken turned his head in order to look at him. "Just one question!"

"What?"

"Before Jean set our minds straight, Northstar landed right here 'n said he was supposed t'meet someone important at that spot. What's this about?" Logan asked and frowned as his son avoided his gaze quickly. "Yer blushin'!" he teased him and grinned.

"Am not!" Daken huffed. "We…promised each other to meet right here in case we got another shot at life…," he said barely audible, and looked at the wood once more. "He flew us over there," he pointed at the spot, "as soon as we landed I detonated the bomb… I told him before to leave and run, but that idiot didn't want to…" Daken was staring at the entrance between all those trees as Logan put a hand to his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Just a piece of advice, son," he said an Daken met his gaze. "Always treat him with the respect he deserves. Findin' a love like this is rare. So make sure ya don't fuck this up!"

Sighing, his son lowered his gaze. "I'm not cut out for this…"

Logan cocked an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Steady relationships… I never had one. I never connected with people, I don't know how to do this… It's…not natural for me to be with someone for longer than a night or day. I still have that instinct in me to kill people that came close…," Daken admitted.

"I think ya did mighty fine up t'now. JP doesn't take shit from anyone. That he's so committed t'ya already is a confirmation that yer doin' great. Don't worry about it so much, son. It's still hard for me too t'suppress that killer instinct. It's in our genes. Yer still young. Ya will learn," Logan assured him and pulled him close after a smile. "I'm still very proud of ya."  
"I'm 72 years old here, father, I'm hardly _young_…," he muttered against Logan's shoulder, making the older feral chuckle.

"Yer young for our age, son." Logan let go of him and patted his shoulder, as his eyes fell on something. "I think we should talk later…"

Frowning at him, Daken watched him leaving as his eyes saw what his father had seen. Glued to the spot he watched Jean-Paul coming closer, his heart betraying his cool exterior by beating fast in his chest. His mind went back to the moment he had spotted him sitting at the bar, lost in thoughts. He had been immediately drawn to that man, felt that he was important, that he had to get close to him. His feeling had confused him at that time. He never wanted to be close to anyone, only indulged in his basic needs when he was bored or wanted something from someone. But _he_ was different. He had felt it the moment he had set eyes on that handsome speedster. After Jean-Paul had finally reached him the man didn't wait any longer and pulled him into a hug so firm that it said all. Despite his usual nature Daken hugged him back and closed his eyes as he partially hid his face in the crook of the speedster's neck. It was then that Daken realized how a soothing calm washed over him. The agitation he had constantly felt was gone, he felt at peace and complete.

"How did you get here so fast?" Jean-Paul mumbled into his shoulder and pulled him even closer.

"Teleporters can come into handy," Daken replied and smiled as the speedster chuckled. He was let go of and soon found himself caught in a breathtaking kiss.

"You are indeed taller…," Jean-Paul noticed after he made a step back and took the different look of Daken in. Compared to before they were of equal height, his hair was longer and kind of carefully styled as a fohawk. He was also sporting well-manicured facial hair now that made him look a lot like Godfrey Gao, who he had met during one model job once, just that Gao was a giant compared to them when it came to height. Plus, Daken was even more beautiful. If that was even possible. "C'mon, let's go inside. I'm sure the Professor and the others would like to see you." He linked their hands and started walking, feeling completely content and happy.

"You sure about that?" Daken huffed and soon found himself in the middle of the kitchen, immediately hugged by Kitty and Jubilee to his surprise.

"Told you so!" the Quebecois smirked and let go of him, watching the scene. He chuckled as both girls let quickly go of the feral again and held him at arm's length, just to ask him if he was himself or his evil-self once more.

"Is there a difference?" Bobby asked and received glares.

"Fuck you, Drake!" Daken snarled.

"Okay, it's him. Welcome back," Iceman shrugged and went on killing the strawberry ice cream in front of him.

* * *

_Panting, Scott ran down the corridor at school, past all lockers, doors and around corners in hope to get away. He could hear that the tall, scary man with the black clothes and coat was still after him, heard his growls and chuckles. Obviously that guy was enjoying the hunt._

_After running around another corner and with the staircase ahead of him, Scott turned while running, just to see how the man was now running after him on all fours and made a huge leap towards the ceiling, from which he jumped off instantly to shorten his way. The boy stumbled and fell to the ground, saw the man now leaping at him. Scott got quickly up again and stumbled towards the stairs, felt how the hand with the sharp nails reached out to grab him, but since the man was still in the air, he missed him. His lungs already burned from exhaustion, but he fought his way upstairs as fast as he could. From downstairs, he heard an angry noise that could have been mistaken for a growl of an animal. Scott looked over the banister just to see how the man quickly ascended the stairs on all fours, jumping like a huge cat. Once more the boy began to ask himself what had happened that the guy was after him, wondered if someone had found out the true reason why he wore glasses and had sent the man to kill him._

_As he stumbled once more, he caught his fall with both hands and moved to ascend the stairs even further. Maybe he could hide somewhere from the man, he thought and ran down another corridor and into the first classroom he could find. His breathing came labored as he hid behind the teacher's desk and pulled his legs close. His heart was thumping wildly and he was sick to the stomach. If someone had really found out what he was, or if Aaron had found him and sent this guy to kill him… He had told the Professor just yesterday that he was afraid to go to a public school… Thinking about what might happen to him, he began to shake. And he'd been so happy that those horrible days as a hooker were finally over, that he had someone he could trust, who loved him as a son and who took care of him, gave him every chance on a better future… He didn't dare to imagine what would await him, if he was brought back to Aaron. Scott knew the man would take good care of him then…_

_Still panting, he crawled over to the end of the desk and peaked around the corner. The door was still closed and the man no where in sight. Scott took a deep breath and leant back against the desk, threw his head back against it to close his eyes for a moment. As he opened them again, he let out a loud scream._

_Sabretooth chuckled, remained crouched on the desk, the black coat hanging from it a bit. "Playin' hide'n seek?" he growled amused, the satisfied grin never leaving his lips. He enjoyed hunting, especially if his prey thought it could get away. "Well, kid, I gotcha…, which means…yer fucked!" He was about to chuckle as his field of vision reddened and he crashed against the wall on the far back of the classroom. After shaking his head, he opened his eyes but his prey had already run past him. Growling, Sabretooth got up and chased further after him. He turned around a corner just to see how Scott was about to run downstairs again. He quickened his rapid pace and leapt at the boy before this one could escape. The impact sent Scott over the banister and he screamed as he realized that he was falling. The red beam shot out of his eyes, destroyed everything around him as he turned around his own axis constantly during the fall and he landed hard on the ground, the air being forced out of his lungs. Scott only saw how the man was suddenly standing over him, when everything turned black…_

Cyclops blinked rapidly behind his visor as he was standing in the middle of the corridor, watching an angry Sabretooth charging at him. The beast had long, wild hair and sharp nails, his canines out and dangerous. However, compared to back then, in an old life that probably didn't count here and now, he didn't feel scared or nervous. As Sabretooth leapt at him with an angry roar his hand simply reached up to touch the side of his visor. And this time it was the feral that flew backwards and landed hard on the cold floor. After making sure the beast would stay down Scott touched his intercom. "Jean? I got him. He's down. You can start your work," he said and went over to the unconscious Creed.

* * *

"Nooooo!"

"Oh, c'mon, kiddos. It's just a goddamn bath 'n you'll take it!"

"Nooooo!"

Cursing, Logan jumped over the sofa and headed after Jamie and Jake, both boys running away and trying to hide while they were stark naked. "Oh, c'mon!"

"No bath, daddy!" Jamie cried and shook his head, hiding behind an armchair.

"No bath!" Jake agreed and joined his younger brother.

"Fine…," Logan growled and threw his arms up in defeat. "No bath then…" He went slowly over to his sons, who both peeked around the corner.

"Really?" Jake asked and he and Jamie started squealing aloud as Logan quickly grabbed them.

"Nope. I was kiddin'!" he said and carried them over to the bathroom in a bear hug, laughing at their pouty faces. He was in the middle of giving them a bath as he heard the twins shouting for him. "What is it?" he called back and it didn't take long for them to stick their heads through the crack at the door.

"Aunt Marie and Uncle Remy are taking Isa and Jean-Luc to the mall. Can we go too?" Jack asked.

"Pleaaaase?" Lily added and gave her father her best puppy look.

"Just the two of ya?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow at them.

"Yeah, Ray and Laura are going with Aunt 'Ro and TJ to see a movie," his son told him. "So can we go?"

Logan sighed. "Yeah, but I don't wanna hear any complain 'n you'll stay close t'em. No runnin' off!" he warned the twins. "Got it?"

The kids looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Yes, we are not five, you know?"

"No, but eleven, which is even worse than five. Off ya go." He winced as they slammed the front door shut after running off and looked at his youngest. "How about stayin' this small, pumpkins?"

"No?" Jamie asked and went on slamming his hands into the water, making it fly into every direction.

"Yeah, I thought so…," Logan grunted and splashed some water back. "Ignore yer old man…"

"Having a rough time?" someone suddenly asked behind him and made him smile broadly.

"Yer finally back?" Quickly, he got up to pull Jean close and kiss her.

"Ewww!" Jake and Jamie made at the same time and covered their eyes.

Logan growled playfully. "Ya don't like me smoochin' yer ma, look away. Simple as that, kiddos!" Having said it he went on doing what he'd done, smiling too as Jean smiled against his lips. "How did it go?"

"Good. We found John, Anna and Victor. They are downstairs with Charles and are getting updated," she told him and went over to give both of her sons a kiss.

"Ya look beat, darlin'," Logan noticed and hugged her from behind. "The kids are out with Rogue, the Cajun and 'Ro. How about ya get some shut eye 'n I take care of these rugrats here?"

Nodding, Jean ran a hand through her long hair. "Sounds good actually…" She went to the bedroom and got changed. With her mind she closed the curtains and pulled the duvet back at the same time, then slipped underneath the covers with a sigh. She felt exhausted and tired as hell. Hopefully, she could sleep for a couple of hours until the children came back home. She heard Logan talking softly to his sons and guessed that he was dressing them in the living room. It didn't take long before he whistled for Miloh and Callie to come with him and for their front door to get shut. Heaving a deep breath she cuddled up to Logan's pillow and fell asleep.

Logan had barely arrived downstairs as he heard people fighting with each other. "What the hell…?!" he muttered and went onto the direction of the voices. He turned around the corner and found himself in front of the living room where he stopped dead in the tracks and looked at the scene in front of him.

"Angry, daddy?" Jake asked and looked at him with big eyes.

"No, not me, kiddo," Logan grunted and put both of them to the ground. "What on earth's goin' on here?!"

Scott, who was leaning against the wall to his right, shrugged. "We were having breakfast when Kyle and that woman suddenly stood in the room and started shouting at JP…"

"That woman's his twin sister. Jeanne-Marie," Logan informed him. "So she's not dead here, huh?"

"Obviously not. And pissed as hell…" Scott was watching the scene in silence, his eyes briefly darting aside to watch how Jamie and Jake walked over Alex and began playing with him, before he looked at the scene again. "Damn…"

"What?" Logan asked, by now leaning against the wall too, his arms crossed.

"They have the same hot temper, huh?"

"Trust me… You've no idea…"

Jean-Paul, who was standing next to a sour looking Daken, had one hand covering his face and was barely holding it together by now. The feeling of relief after seeing his twin sister, who had been dead in his old world, almost gone while she was shouting at him. "I'm telling you for the last time, Jeanne-Marie, that I am telling you the truth. Ask the Professor, damn it!" he shouted back at her in French, his eyes glowing white in anger. "I am NOT your Jean-Paul!"

Kyle huffed, his face a mask of fury as he looked at his fiancé and Daken. "I thought better of you… And I'm asking again, how long is this going already?"

"I don't understand a word…," Jubilee whispered and Kitty just rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you should have paid attention to Logan's French classes and spent less time ogling his ass!"

"I did so not ogle his ass!" Jubilee disagreed and popped her chewing gum. "I ogled his pecs and abs too…"

"You're impossible...", Kitty groaned.

"How could you, Jean-Paul?!" Kyle demanded to know and for the first time since he had arrived looked completely devastated. "We are supposed to marry today. I was worried that something might have happened to you, I have been on the phone nonstop since I couldn't reach you…," he told him and was shaking his head in hurt and disgust. "And then I come here, happy to have finally found you, just to see you kissing this…"

"…this hot, handsome and utterly sexy hunk?" Daken finished for him in English and received a glare from the speedster. "What? I was just finishing his sentence," he added in perfect French.

"Don't make it worse than it already is!" Jean-Paul hissed.

"Who was asking for your opinion anyway?!" Jeanne-Marie snapped at the feral, who gave her an arrogant look.

"You know, you might be equally beautiful but…"

"Shut up, Hiro!" Jean-Paul quickly intervened and let out a curse in relief as he saw the Professor joining them. "Thank God. Could you please tell them I'm telling the truth?!"

"That's why I'm here," Charles said and looked at their guests. "If you allow me," he touched the side of his head and concentrated on Kyle's and Jeanne-Marie's mind, retrieving the necessary memories from Jean-Paul's mind. It didn't take long and their faces changed from anger to shock and recognition. "You see that he was telling you the truth? Neither of us is from this world here. Our bodies are, not our minds."

Kyle was staring blankly at Jean-Paul for a moment before he went over to hug him, much to Daken's dismay. "I'm so sorry."

The speedster shook his head. "You couldn't have known. This whole situation is already as crazy as it can get." His phone began to ring and he chose to ignore it for the moment. "You can tell me what happened after I flew you back to Canada later."

"Only if you tell me your side of the story," Kyle smiled and gave Daken, who had made a gagging noise a glare. "We are in deep shit though. The press knows about the wedding. They planned media coverage, the guests are invited, we are supposed to stand in front of the priest in less than 5 hours! If we cancel now not only your name but also mine and the company's will be damaged!"

"Shit…," Jean-Paul cursed and ran a hand through his dark hair.

"You could still marry him instead…," Jubilee pointed at Daken and wiggled her eyebrows. "I mean you were engaged and all…"

"This is serious, okay?" the speedster snapped and cursed as his phone began to ring again. "Professor? Can't you make them somehow forget?"

"And then what?" Kitty asked.

"If he cancels and they see him dating that guy," Kyle nodded at Daken, who was seizing him up for a coffin, "his reputation will be destroyed. We can't risk that…"

"Where's Jean, Logan?" Charles asked.

"Sleepin'… 'n you'll let her sleep!" he warned them with a glare.

"It will take too long to find every single guest with Cerebro," the Professor said. "What I can do is to wait until everyone is gathered at the wedding. It will be easier to alter their minds while attending it too. Usually, I would never do this but considering our situation and that it is not your fault, Jean-Paul, I will see what I can do."

"Thank you…" The speedster chose to ignore the phone as it began to ring once more and went over to his twin sister. "Do you still want to kill me?" he asked and she looked up, her face streaked with tears as she remembered her last moments in his arms after she had caught the bullet that was meant for him. She shook her head and hugged him back as hard as she could. "I missed you so much…," she heard him muttering into her neck and closed her eyes for a while, simply listening to her twin's heartbeat. As his phone rang for the fifth time he let go of her, running a hand over his face and grabbing the damn thing with the other. "What?!" he asked in complete annoyance and listened to the voice on the other end while Jeanne-Marie went carefully over to Daken, who was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and looking at her without any detectable emotion.

"Can we forget the past thirty minutes and start over?" she asked and he tilted his head to regard her. "What do you say?"

"I say that you are even bitchier than your brother," Daken said bluntly and made Logan roll his eyes. "But whatever. I don't care about anything you said to me anyway." He shrugged and began to frown as he noticed how pale Jean-Paul had suddenly become. "As he said… This whole mess is already crazy enough and…" He paused. "What's wrong with you?"

Kyle had already reached out to steady Jean-Paul who had let the phone sink and was pale as a ghost. "What's the matter? Bad news?" he asked.

"No…"

"But?" Logan asked.

"If I understood correctly…", the speedster said and wondered if the world had always been spinning so fast, "…then I just became father to a 6 pounds baby girl…"

**Again thanks for the overwhelming support. I'm glad you still want to see this story continued. : ) Please leave a review and let me know what you think!  
The flashback of Scott and Creed was written loooong ago. Origins had just come out and I couldn't find the right spot to include that scene.  
There should be a jump in time around chapter 4. See you soon!**


	26. Epilogue 3

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Thank you so much for the positive support and all the comments you've left! : )**

* * *

**SINCE I'VE BEEN ASK IN A REVIEW: Yes, I have seen THE WOLVERINE. Twice already in fact. I went to the German premiere on July 24 and I had the chance to see the English version on July 29. I loved it. : ) Some minor parts that bugged me, but overall I loved it. **

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 3**

He cracked an eye open as the mattress began to move and turned his head into the direction of the movement. The moonlight illuminated the room just enough for him to make out the shadow next to him that got carefully settled under the duvet. His heightened eyes would have been able to see perfectly in the dark anyway. "Back?"

"Shit, did I wake you?" Jean-Paul whispered and blinked as the light on the bedside table was switched on.

"No…," Daken grunted and ran a hand through his hair, staring at him as if he was looking for a difference. "So?" he asked after a long silence of just staring at each other. Northstar suddenly beamed and reached for his mobile to his right.

"She is absolutely gorgeous!" the man gushed, searched for a picture and practically shoved it into the feral's face. "She's got her mother's features and hair, but the eye color is mine."

Daken took the phone and looked through the pictures of a baby, wrapped in a pink blanket. A shock of black hair was very much visible on each of it, whereas the light blue eyes that were definitely the speedster's where visible on another. He stopped at one particular picture that showed the girl in Northstar's arms, the man looking happier than he had ever seen him before. Disgruntled, Daken hand the phone back. "And this happened how exactly?" he demanded to know, watching how Jean-Paul took another look at the picture before he put the phone aside again.

"Kelly, the mother, was in my team way back then when I was still a professional skier. She knew I was gay, I knew she was a lesbian and in a relationship with Melanie, that's the brunette in that one picture you saw. They've been together since their early twenties. We went out together a lot back then and one day they asked me, if I'd be willing to be a donor if they ever wanted to have a child. That's all. Guess my other me here did it," Jean-Paul explained and turned to look at Daken.

"You never told me…"

"There was no reason to do so. In our reality they died during a car crash thanks to a drunk driver. They never had the chance to have a baby," he said and ran both hands over his face, stifling a yawn. "Are you okay with it?"

Daken shrugged and rearranged his pillow. "It's your kid, not mine," he said in a monotone voice, somehow feeling hurt. "What's her name anyway?"

"Lin Marie."

"Lin?!"

"The mother is Chinese-American," Jean-Paul shrugged and Daken huffed.

"_Beautiful jade_…," he muttered and noticed the look he was given. "That's what Lin means in Chinese."

"Well she's beautiful…"

"Whatever," Daken muttered.

"Besides…you've got an Asian name too, _Akihiro_," the speedster returned the favor.

"_I _was born and raised in Japan!"

"Speaking of which… Did the Professor or Jean find our son?"

"Xavier had his hands full attending your non-wedding and making every guest forget that it was actually supposed to happen," Daken grunted. "So no."

Jean-Paul narrowed his eyes. "Stop snapping at me, Hiro!"

"I'm not snapping!"

"Then call it sulking."

"I'm not sulking either!" Daken snapped and glared back at him, his eyes completely devoid of any emotion except anger.

Northstar sighed. "Just because Lin was born doesn't mean I love you any less or that you are suddenly not important to me anymore….,"he tried to reason with the feral while he got settled and hugged his pillow.

"Whatever…," Daken muttered and switched off the lights.

* * *

Stretching, Jean yawned and rolled around so that she was resting on her side, her arms immediately drawing the warm body next to her closer and snuggling up to it. Unconsciously, she heard Logan growling softly and suddenly her face got all wet as something, making slurping noises, worked all over her. "Ugh, Callie…," Jean groaned and pushed the Husky gently away, hearing Logan chuckling to her left. "Not funny!"

"Had a wet dream, darlin'?" Logan asked teasingly and watched her cleaning her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

"I had until she came along," she replied and noticed his smirk and cocked eyebrow. "A nice dream, I meant, you perv!"

"Mhm, keep on tellin' that t'yerself, Jeannie," he nodded and bent down to kiss her on the lips- "How about getting' yer cute butt outta bed, huh?"

"What time is it?" she asked, stretching and sitting up.

"Past 10."

"What?!"

"Yeah, sleepy-head. It's surprisingly warm outside so we decided to spend the day at the pool. Yer comin'?" Logan asked, taking her hand to help her up and it hadn't been until now that she noticed him wearing his black swim trunks. Logan followed her eyes down his chest and body. He smirked. "Like what ya see?"

Jean blushed. "You're too much so early in the morning. Get out, I meet you downstairs." She gave him a gentle push, ignoring his chuckle.

"Why? Afraid ya might ravish me right here? I wouldn't mind, ya know?" he asked, leaning back against the wall next to the door, arms crossed and looking undeniably smug.

"Get out!" she cried but not without a smile and went past him into the bathroom.

"Need help?" he called after her, but was rewarded with a pillow that smacked him in the back of his head and had been sent via teke by Jean. "Was that a 'no'?" he added and this time the door was opened and Jean stepped out, wearing a black bikini that showed off her curves. "Tease…"

"What's with you today?" Jean laughed and found herself wrapped in his arms in the next moment.

"Nice weather, sexy wife, plus….a surprise."

"A surprise?" she asked and bit her lower lip as he began to nibble on her neck.

"Mhm…"

"From you?"

"Yeah," he nodded and kissed her.

"Just like that?"

"Mh…no."

"But?" Jean asked and he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Ya don't know?!"

Thinking hard, Jean shook her head. "No, I think I don't…"

Logan huffed playfully. "'n then it's us men who always forget important dates, huh?" he mocked her. "Twins are eleven, Jean."

"So…?"

"Seriously now?!" he feigned shock.

"It's July already, Logan, I didn't know you still wanted to celebrate," she said and kissed him. "It's our ten year anniversary. I know."

"Ya better do, darlin', otherwise I'll take John with me 'n we'll spend five days drinkin'," he grunted.

"So what's the surprise?" she changed the subject and he smirked.

"Ya wanna know, huh?"

"Oh, come on, Logan!"

He chuckled and pulled her closer, kissing her. "It's…"

"Yes?" she mumbled against his lips and felt him smiling against hers. "It's what?"

"…a surprise," he finished and laughed as she groaned and slapped him playfully against the chest. "Be nice t'me 'n I might tell ya, darlin'." He intertwined their hands and took her towel before he headed back to the pool.

"Just for the record…," he heard her saying as they reached the garden and he turned a bit to look at her. "I…was being nice to you all day. It's you who keeps on teasing me. Just saying."

"Ohhh…," he made and let go of her hand in order to wrap his arm around her slim waist. "Want me t'make up t'you, is that it?" he asked and she nodded. "Well… It's still a surprise."

"Logan!"

Laughing, he jogged over to the lounger he'd been sitting on before, pulling the free one next to his closer. "C'mon, Jeannie." He patted the empty spot and grinned devilishly at her.

The redhead went straight to the lounger next to Ororo instead. "I've got one mean husband today," she complained and was rewarded with a smile. "Has he been like this all morning?"

"Pretty much. Blame the weather. Victor and John are playful too, but not nearly as much as Logan."  
"Victor and playful?" Jean asked and put on her sunglasses before she reached for the sunscreen.

"Well Domino's here," Ororo shrugged and nodded into the direction of where the huge feral was currently sitting.

"And this goes well with…" Jean nodded into the direction where Akihiro was taking a sunbath right now.

"After at least 5 hours of bitching… Yes." Ororo rolled her eyes playfully. "And don't even get me started on Jubilee drooling all over him. I'm glad Bobby finally got her to shut up."

Jean giggled. "And he managed to do this how?"

"By throwing her into the pool." The weather goddess grinned and looked over to where Kurt was playing with their children in the water. Right now they wanted him to bamf above the water and let them drop into it. "Men and children…" She shook her head, smiling. "Next time we go shopping just let us drop our men at the child care station at the mall. The employers won't notice the difference, trust me."

"I guess you're right," the redhead said and watched how her dear husband was currently stuck on the middle of a water fight with their children. "Oh, Lin's here?" she noticed after spotting Northstar, who was keeping an eye on Kazuki while balancing his daughter in his arms. "She has grown a lot in the past two months…"

"Hasn't she?" Ororo gushed. "And she is so gorgeous! Kazuki loves being the big brother too."

Smiling, Jean watched them for a while. She remembered to well how happy the speedster had been after the Professor had finally managed to locate the boy in an orphanage. Despite the stern look that Daken had sported back then she guessed that he had been relieved too. She looked up as drops of water rained down on her from behind and was already about to curse Logan to the moon and back as she realized it was Scott. "Hey."

"There is one weird woman waiting for you in the kitchen. She says she's a lawyer," he informed her and shrugged at her confused face.

"What does a lawyer want from you?!" Ororo asked.

"I don't know…"

"I so knew it wasn't Logan who put that scratch into my car," Scott teased her and went back over to Raven and their children.

Jean looked at the backdoor and suddenly felt a knot in her stomach. "Be right back." She got up and walked over to the door, then entered the kitchen. A blonde woman in her early thirties met her with a huge smile, her black business suit being too tight around her already way too slender form.

"Jean," she greeted the redhead with an outstretched hand and way too bright smile. "I'm so sorry that it took so long, but it was a pain in the ass to get the papers." She dropped a stack on the counter and sighed. "Anyway, I can promise you that the divorce will go smoothly. That is…" Her eyes suddenly darkened and Jean, completely shocked and confused, turned to see Logan standing behind her, "…if someone specific doesn't throw a fit again. I'm talking to my client here, leave!"

"What the fuck's goin' on?!"

"It's none of your goddamn business. Just tell your lawyer that I will sue your ass off, Mr. Logan. That's all you need to know!"

"Lawyer?!" Logan asked confused and looked at the redhead, who had finally taken the papers and was looking through them. "Jean?"

"I said leave!" the blonde hissed and stepped between them, a move that earned a growl from him.

"I don't believe this…," Jean muttered and didn't listen to Logan and that lawyer snapping and throwing threats at each other. Too shocked was all that described her current feelings. Not thinking twice about it, as that woman was reaching for her phone, she invaded her mind. "As I said…," Jean told the blonde that was now staring blankly at her, "…you've got the wrong house. As soon as you close the door behind yourself you will forget that we ever met. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Now go. And delete all files that bear our name as soon as you are back in your office." Jean watched how the woman turned and left, a heavy sigh escaping her as she sat down on a stool.

"Jean?" Logan asked, completely annoyed. "What the hell's goin' on?!" he demanded to know and frowned as she held out the papers for him.

"Obviously our other selves hated each other so much that they wanted a divorce…," she told him and he took the papers from her. "I've actually been waiting for a lawyer or something similar to show up…" She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. "It's unbelievable how broken we've been here, Logan…" She heard how he let out a deep breath. "It's shocking, isn't it?"

"Ya shocked me…"

Jean frowned. "Why?"

"Well I come here 'n the first thing I'm confronted with is a fuckin' lawyer, ya lookin' all serious… So what else was I supposed t'be than shocked?!" he asked and threw the papers on the counter, noticing the stare he was given. "What?"

"You didn't actually believe that I wanted a divorce?" Jean asked.

"Nope. Ya still shocked me….," he muttered and dropped down on the stool beside her, looking grumpy. "How fucked up where they?! Only an idiot would want t'divorce ya!" He shook his head and she smiled, covering his hand with hers. "Seriously. I want t'punch that guy."

"You mean you."

"That idiot can never be me!" he disagreed, completely disgruntled. "I refuse t'accept that. If ya ever find out where ya sent his conscious t', lemme know!"

"I think I exchanged their conscious with our old reality," Jean shrugged and heaved a deep breath. "Anyway…," she began and bent over the counter, giving him a good view of her two best arguments, "…what's the surprise?"

"Tryin' t'seduce me, huh?" Logan noticed and smirked. "Not gonna happen."

"Are you sure about that?" she asked and ran her hands up his thighs, looking right into his eyes.

"He swallowed. "Yeah?"

"Hm…," she pouted and hopped off her stool to climb on his lap. "Are you really sure?" Jean whispered and kissed the sensitive spot right under his ear.

"Absolutely," Logan replied huskily and cleared his throat. "Ain't workin' at all." He held his breath as she rubbed against him to position herself on his lap in a different angle and ran her hand up his sides next. He closed his eyes as she began to places small kisses along his neck, jawline and mouth, determined to get him to tell her about the surprise.

"Get a room!" a smooth voice grunted behind them all of a sudden and, if Logan hadn't wrapped his arms around Jean, she would have dropped to the ground, startled.

"Hi…," she said and blushed as Daken eyed her. "Is something wrong?"

"Don't get me started on your pheromone level. Get a room!" he said and got a cool drink out of the fridge before he went back to the door, eyeing his father. "You were able to withstand this?" he asked, nodding at her. "Congrats."

Jean watched him closing the door behind him and gave Logan a look. "Do I stink?" she asked and sniffed herself, smelling sunscreen only.

"Well…"

"I do?!"

"Ya don't stink in the sense of stink," he said and he received a confused look only.

"But?" Jean demanded to know.

"Well…let's say ya can be happy that I'm me 'n not _him_, coz if I was you'd be already flat on that counter," he said truthfully and her blush deepened.

"Oh…"

"Oh exactly," Logan said and pulled her into a gentle kiss. "Ya really wanna know?" he asked and she nodded. "'kay. Be right back. Wait here." He dropped her gently to the ground and got up to head upstairs. Patiently, she waited for him to come back and her heart skipped a beat as he did, hiding something behind his back. "Which hand?" he asked, smirking but showed her the envelope anyway. While she opened it he positioned himself behind her, kissing her shoulder.

"Plane tickets to Paris?" Jean asked and looked up at him.

"Yeah."

"And a voucher for 5 days in a five star hotel?"

"Mhm," he made and rested his chin on her shoulder. "So what do ya think?"

"What about the children?"

"Everything's taken care of. We've got enough babysitters, the kids know about the surprise but weren't allowed t'tell ya. We just need t'pack 'n head t'the airport," he assured her and kissed her. "C'mon. Ten years with me, darlin'. That patience needs t'be celebrated!"

Smiling happily, she hugged him. "Thank you," Jean said and kissed him.

"Still haven't found a room, huh?" Daken commented while leaning against the doorframe.

"Don't ya have anythin' t'do?!" Logan grunted, but his son shrugged.

"Do you see me doing anything?" his eldest replied nonchalantly. "I don't have anything interesting to occupy me with so I can as well annoy the hell out of you."

Logan groaned and let Jean slide from his lap. "What about yer boyfriend? Go out on a date, go hikin', lock yerself in yer room, go train, just do somethin'!"

Daken simply stared back at him. "The person you're referring to is currently occupied."

Logan and Jean exchanged a knowing look with each other. "Off-phase," both said at the same time. "You know it's annoyin' the hell outta us, don't ya? What's with this annoyin' on and off phase with the two of ya?!" Logan went on while Jean got herself something cool to drink.

Daken simply shrugged and didn't bother to make room as his better half entered to make a bottle for his daughter. Logan and Jean watched them in silence, both feeling how the temperature had suddenly dropped noticeably in the room. While Jean-Paul prepared the bottle in silence, Daken was watching him with a glare that would have made anyone drop dead. "'kay," Logan said, "That's enough! Give me the girl."

"Why?" the speedster asked.

"Because we have enough of both you sulking and fighting on a constant basis. After one day of bliss follow ten days of bitching." Jean told him and took the bottle away from him, whereas Logan took Lin. "You will talk, now! Feel free to throw as many things at each other as you wish. I can set them back together." She followed Logan back to the outside and handed him the bottle. Smiling, she watched how he began to feed the girl, who had begun to suck eagerly on the bottle.

"What?" he asked and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Nothing. It's just seem to have been ages since I last saw you feeding a baby."

He smirked and sat down on one of the lounger. "Kids have grown up way too fast…," he said and watched his children playing with their friends.

"You can say that…," Jean sighed and sat down next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. "So… Can we hope for five calm days in Paris? What do you think?"

"Ya can bet your pretty ass on it that we will have five nice days. Anyone that tries t'stop us from it will be killed on sight!" Logan growled and turned his head as he saw movement from behind. "Oh c'mon!" he groaned as he noticed his son walking furiously towards them, Northstar on his heels and both clearly arguing with each other. "Can't we just lock'em up or somethin'?!"

"I'm fucking talking to you!" Northstar shouted and simply had enough as he was ignored once more. Furiously, he grabbed the feral by the arms and elevated both of them until they were far up in the sky, still enough for Daken to breathe properly.

"Well at least he can't run off…" Logan sighed and shook his head.

"That reminds me, baby…," Jean began and he looked at her, frowning at her strange smile. "Did you take into consideration that you'll be on a plane for about 8 hours?" she asked sweetly and could tell just by looking at him that his heart had just skipped a beat. Jean nodded knowingly, already looking forward to his bouts of fear of flying and his vehement denial of said fear during their travel time. "As I thought."

**Thanks a lot for all the reviews! I'm so glad I can finally add the Paris trip. I have the idea and some scene pre-written for at least three years by now. : ) Someone wished for a hot Logan/Jean scene. I can promise: there will be one in the next chapter. : )  
THANKS A LOT TO ALL OF THOSE OF YOU THAT LEFT A REVIEW! I hope you liked this chapter too. Let me know, please! : )**


	27. New Family Tree

Since one reviewer requested a new family tree. Here it is. However: doesn't allow picture links, so I can't include those unfortunately. : ( I will probably link to my Livejournal or so for the pictures.

I already did post pictures of actors (that I model those characters after that haven't been in the movie yet) on my Facebook in the Changes group. I will write the names next to the character in bolt/italic letters.

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_**FAMILY TREE**_

**Logan  
**  
Daken Akihiro (with Itsu) _**(Daken: Godfrey Gao, Itsu: Asaka Seto)**_  
Amiko (adopted) _**(Erika Toda)**_

**Howlett-Grey**

Logan – Jean

- Jack , Lily  
- Rachel Anne  
- Jake  
- Jamie  
- Laura (adopted, clone of Wolverine)

**Daken**

- Kazuki _**(use Google picture search and type in: cute Asian baby. Row 4, picture 4)**_

**Howlett Jr **_**(Christian Bale)**_**  
**- Anna (with Anne, deceased)

**Beaubier **_**(Kevin Zegers)**_**  
****  
**- Lin Marie  
- Kazuki (adopted)  
- Joanne (adopted, deceased)

**Summers-Darkholme  
**

- Alexander Logan  
- Sara , Ruby

**Munroe-Wagner  
**- Talia Josephine  
- Thomas-Joshua

**LeBeau**

- Jean Luc (with Rogue)

**Drake**

- Isabella (with Rogue)

**Pryde-Rasputin  
**-

**McCoy-McTaggert**

- Nicholas (adopted)  
-

**Stark  
**-


	28. Epilogue 4

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**I hope there are not too many mistakes in this. It's almost 6 a.m. and I can't sleep.**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 4**

Ororo was getting suspicious. Since Jean had returned to the pool she was smiling like an idiot, but refused to tell her what had happened between Logan and her. Even three days, then four days and in the end five days didn't make the redhead spill the secret. Now, while they were having breakfast in the kitchen she was trying to spoil the children with her best chocolate chip pancakes and tried her luck again. Jack, however, was shaking his head.

"No, mommy and daddy told us not to tell anyone," he said and her face fell.

"Especially you!" Rachel added while chewing on her pancakes delicately.

"Oh, come on!" the weather goddess cried and look up as someone snickered in front of her. It was said redhead, clearly amused. "Jean, please! Tell me what's going on!"

"No way, 'Ro," Jean laughed and gave each of her children a kiss on the cheek. "And don't even try to bribe my kids, they won't tell you anything! Isn't that right?"

"Yeah," they said in unison and grinned at Ororo. "We won't say a word!"

"Unfair!" the woman sulked. "Will you tell me at least the thing Logan has to do for you that left him all grumpy yesterday?"

Jean laughed. "Oh that…," she said and sipped on her coffee. "Well, Logan was so stupid to promise me something on our wedding day…"

"Which is?"

"To look the same on our ten year anniversary," she answered and smiled into her cup, her smile turning into a giddy giggle as a frown became visible on Ororo's face.

"Ohhh!" the weather goddess made as realization hit her. "You mean he's going to…." She pointed at her face and her, squealing as Jean nodded. "Really?!"

"For the whole trip."

"What's daddy doing, mommy?" Rachel asked after listening to the two adults.

"You should see in a moment, baby," Jean smiled and stroked through her daughter's long red hair.

"I'm finished. Can I go outside?" Jack asked.

"Me too?" Laura and Lily added.

"Sure. But stay where I can see you, okay?" Jean said and sent their dishes to the sink with her powers. "What about you, Ray?"

"I wanna wait for daddy and see what he did!" the girl said determined.

"Daddy and I won't leave before we gave you a proper goodbye, baby, so you can go outside and play. There's still enough time," the older redhead smiled and watched her daughter running after her siblings. She looked outside the window, her smile turning into a smirk as she picked up on Ororo's thoughts. "I still won't tell you!"

"Oh crap!" the weather goddess cursed, making room as the others entered the kitchen and sat down on the empty stools. "His mean side clearly rubbed off on you," she teased the redhead, who giggled and greeted Akihiro as he came into the room, a phone attached to his right ear.

"Trying to get her to tell you where they are heading?" John asked and received a nod. "Forget it! Logan doesn't even tell his own brother about it…" He watched his nephew talking on the phone and sighed. "Lovebirds…"

"Hey!" Narya gave hima gentle shove. "Don't be rude. They haven't seen each other for…"

"Three days?" John finished for her and received a glare as Daken put the phone into his back pocket, handed his son the breakfast he was making for him and then poured two mugs of coffee. "I bet his sweetheart will be here in less than a second anyway." His head shot up as the backdoor opened and a more than exhaustedlooking Northstar entered. "See?" he grinned at Narya, who rolled her eyes and watched Jean-Paul pulling his son up to hug him and kiss his cheek before he went over to Akihiro, kissing him and giving him a tired, but thankful smile as he saw the coffee mug for him.

"You look like shit!" she told him as he was snuggling into the feral's embrace.

"Thanks, that's exactly how I feel," he said and hid a yawn, resting his hands against Daken's chest and looking up at him. "I've got to go back tomorrow."

"What?! Why?" the feral asked disgruntled and made a step back.

"Another shooting, some meetings and we're thinking about expanding to Europe. So I might have to travel there soon," Jean-Paul explained and could tell his significant other didn't like what he was telling him at all. "I don't like it either…"

"Then don't do it."

"I'm the boss. I have to do it." He ran both hands over his face and sighed. "I'm beat. I'm going to bed. What will you be doing?" he asked and angry dark brown eyes met his.

Daken moved around him and headed for the backdoor. "Sulking…," was all he said before he shut the door behind him

"Great… Thanks for talking," Jean-Paul muttered.

"What did you expect? He missed you," Jean told him. "He was even moodier than Logan on a bad day since you left."

"I missed him too, but what am I supposed to do? My work's in Canada, he's in New York. I can't always travel back and forth without a break. It's already taking a toll on me." He ran a hand through his hair, annoyed, and moved to the back door. "This sucks…"

Ororo watched him leaving and whistled. "Trouble in paradise…"

"With that much traveling back and forth? Definitely," Kitty added and dropped her spoon as she realized who was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and glaring daggers at all of them. "Oh….my…God…"

"What?" Ororo asked and turned around, just to nearly drop off her stool. "Goddess…"

"One word… Just one…'n I'm gonna kill ya!" Logan warned them and rolled his eyes at Jean's big smile. "Happy?"

Getting off her stool, she went over to him and ran her hands through his short hair and over his smooth cheeks. "Very!" she said and pulled him into a kiss.

"Damn, and I thought I switched off the lawn mower yesterday. Sorry for that, Logan," Scott teased him and hid his grin behind the newspaper.

"Fuck ya, Scooter!" Logan snapped.

Scott put the paper down and looked at him, then shrugged. "Looking like this you're not really intimidating."

"How about I rip ya a…," Logan began and paused for a moment, his eyes staring blankly ahead of him and a frown becoming visible on his forehead.

"Logan?" Jean asked concerned and touched his cheek to make him look at her. "What is it?"

"I feel…," he began and suddenly began to grimace, his body becoming engulfed in light. He only heard Jean saying his name as everything went dark around him.

Alarmed, everyone had jumped off their stools, but had to cover their eyes due to the light blinding them. They blinked as it became less first and was suddenly gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"What the…," Scott began and paused as he looked at the scene in front of him.

"Did it work?" Logan, sporting his typical look, asked and looked at the dark haired man next to him.

"Yeah," this one nodded and looked at Jean, who was staring at both of them in shock. "Hi mom."

Looking behind him, Logan smirked. "Hey darlin'. Sorry for crashin' the party," he apologized and looked into the round. "Everyone's here? Good."

"What the hell is going on?" Scott asked and his eyes darted aside as the Professor, who had obviously taken notice of it, entered.

"Hello Logan," he greeted and smiled at the younger man next to the feral, "Hello Jamie. You've grown a lot since the last time I've seen you. How old are you now?"

"22," the man said shyly and gave the round a quick glance.

"22?" Jean gasped and quickly calculated in her mind. "So you're from 2037…," she muttered and Logan nodded. "Is something happening?!"

"He's back. Apocalypse I mean," Logan told her and Jean's eyes grew wide. "It ain't bad. Not yet," he quickly added.

"But?" Charles asked, concern echoing in his voice.

"He slipped out of our grasp," Jamie replied. "We were able to locate him, but he has help. I managed to read him though."

"_Read_ him?" Ororo asked.

"He can analyze mutants just by lookin' at 'em. One look 'n he sees their while history," Logan explained.

"But why are you here?" Jean asked, still confused, as Logan suddenly saw something on the outside and his eyes seemed to widen in shock. "Logan?" she asked and watched him walking over to the window, still staring at whatever he had seen. "What's the matter?"

Logan turned and stared at Jamie wide-eyed. "How far back did ya send us?!" he growled and his son averted his gaze. "Jamie?!"

"It's July 25," Jean said and Logan's eyes were on her now. "2019…"

"2019?!"

"Yes, what's the matter, Logan?" Scott asked and received a brief, but very shocked look from the feral before the man was staring outside again. Moving a bit to the side, Scott noticed that he was looking at his eldest, who had obviously made up with the speedster, and was currently sitting under a tree, Northstar napping with his head on the feral's lap. "Why are you so surprised to see your son?"

"Did something happen to Akihiro?" Charles asked, sensing that something was wrong, but Logan remained silent.

"I…," Jamie began after a moment of silence and looked down after Logan looked at him, "…heard you talking to mom. I know how much it still affects you. That you have nightmares…"

"So?" his father growled, clearly on the edge.

"So you can make it right, dad. You can prevent it!"

Logan huffed and shook his head. "Wasn't it ya who told us that things like this should never be the reason t'misuse one's power? T'not mess with timelines?" he asked harshly.

"Yes. Exceptions to be made," Jamie replied. "And this is one…" He looked outside, looking at the older brother he never got to know. He couldn't remember him at all. "You know I'd do anything to save Tommy's life, but I can't… If I save him, your grandchild will never be born. So I'd be killing one life for another. It's not the same with you, dad. In fact, you'd be saving lots of lives…"

Ororo who had listened to Jamie suddenly felt cold, a chill running down her spine. "Did you just say Tommy?" she asked and he stared at her as if he'd completely forgotten about her being here. "_My _Tommy?! My son?!" she asked, feeling terrified. She exchanged a look with Kurt, who was as shaken as she was. "What happens to him?"

Jamie bit his lower lip and shook his head. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"The hell you can!" she snapped at him and Jean stepped in front of her son.

"'Ro!"

"What happens to my baby?!" the weather goddess demanded to know, but Jamie remained silent. "How can you not care?"

This made his head snap up, his eyes blazing golden for a brief moment. "You think I don't care?!" Jamie asked and his hands were clenched to fists at his sides. "I'd give my life for Tommy. I'd do anything to get him back!" he said through clenched teeth and ignored the looks he was given. "But saving him would also mean that my son, your grandson, would never be born. So what am I supposed to do, hm?" His head jerked aside as said boy came into view and his breath hitched. Ororo watched how Jamie first stared at her son for a long moment, before he bent slowly down to pick Tommy up and held him in his arms as if he was the most precious thing on this planet.

"What happens to him, Jamie?" she asked and he looked at her with tears in his eyes. She heard him heaving a deep, shaky breath. "Please…"

"Some…guy with a knife. I can't tell you more, sorry. You already know too much," he apologized and looked at Tommy again. "I miss you so much… Everyday just sucks since you're gone," he whispered and heaved a deep breath before he handed Tommy over to Kurt. Wiping his eyes, his eyes fell on his watch. "6 minutes, dad!"

"Why is he so shocked to see Akihiro?" Jean asked her son.

"'coz I had t'put him down…," Logan said like a robot and all eyes were suddenly on him.

"Why? What happens that you had to do this?" Charles asked and wheeled closer.

Logan watched how his son was now talking to Jean-Paul and laughing with him. "He completely lost it after…," he began and broke off. "He killed a lot of students at school, got three of the X-Men next. He escaped 'n disappeared for a while. We couldn't find him. He then blew up the Fantastic Four's and Avenger's mansion, killing six superheroes and dozen others employees with it. Fury got pissed 'n sent S.H.I.E.L.D. after him, but he just laughed at them. Talk about a massacre in the streets." He sighed and shook his head, looking down. "In the end, I tracked him down. There was no getting' through t' him. I had t'kill him. Before he died he thanked me for doin' it…"

Jean felt her heart racing in her chest and looked from Logan to the couple on the outside and back. "Why would he do something like this? He's completely stable now." He looked at her and she knew. "Something happens to Jean-Paul…," she guessed and he nodded. "Of course… That would send him over the edge."

"When does it happen, Logan?" Charles asked, but before he got a reply the backdoor opened and the speedster entered.

Feeling watched as he made his way over to the fridge, Jean-Paul pulled two bottles of juice out of it and looked into the round. "What?! Sorry that I pulled my shirt off," he muttered with a shake of his head and went back to the door, mumbling something about 'weird people'. His hand was touching the doorknob as Logan addressed him.

"Just an advice, kid. Don't board that plane…"

Northstar gave him a confused look. "Are all of you drunk or something?!"

"Repeat what I just told ya!" Logan snapped with a glare.

"You don't want me to board a plane that I don't intend to board. Whatever it is you've been smoking throw it away!" the speedster said and left to join his partner again.

Logan sighed and, after one last look at his eldest, turned back around to face the group. "'kay… Since Apocalypse isn't really back here, yet, ya should still start lookin' for him. The earlier ya take him out the better. He should be a kid at this point of time. Correct?" he asked and Jamie nodded, then pointed at his watch.

"1 minute."

"Find him 'n kill him! Don't risk that he becomes that powerful again," Logan warned the group and felt the pull on his body. "Damn…" He looked at Jean. "Did we already go on that trip?"

"No… We were about to actually," she replied.

"'kay."

She groaned. "Don't tell me catastrophes happen and ruin everything…"

Logan smirked and began to glow. "Nah, it was fun. You'll love it! See ya in a bit!"

Jean shielded her eyes as the light began to blind her. She blinked as its intensity lessened and soon found herself looking at an annoyed looking Logan, who was rubbing the side of his head. "Are you alright?"

"No. I barely opened my eyes when ya knocked me out," he grumbled and took notice of the strange mood in the room. But before he could ask a look at the clock reminded him how late it already was. "Shit. Jeannie, we have t'hurry! Whatever happened, tell me on the way," he said and headed upstairs to get their luggage, whereas Jean called their children to her mentally, deciding that it might be better to tell him _everything_ after their trip…

**Since I can't sleep I decided to write this short chapter as an in-between-chapter. It's needed to set up future events that I had planned a long time ago and the next chapter will solely concentrate on the Paris trip. I'll be travelling to Rome tomorrow (by flying… And I'm already scared shitless….) and have to study for an exam, so it might take a while for me to write the next chapter. Keep your fingers crossed that the trip will go well! And thanks to all that left a review. It made me really happy. : ) Let me know what you think! Suggestions for the Paris trip are always welcome. : ) Please review! See ya!**


	29. Epilogue 5

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**You wanted M. You get an ****M-rating****!**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 5**

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill him!" Logan cursed for the at least 100th time since the plane had left the airport and gripped his armrest hard.

Jean shook her head, smirking. "It's not that bad, honey," she tried to soothe Logan, but it didn't help at all. The feral looked like a ghost as soon as the plane made the tiniest movement. "It's your own fault, baby. It was you who booked the flight."

"Coz you always wanted to go t'go t'Paris!" he growled and closed his eyes, groaning. "I'm gonna fuckin' kill him!"

Jean sighed and put her book away. "Try to get distracted then," she told him and stretched her legs as good as she could, feeling his eyes on them instantly as her skirt moved upwards a bit. She rolled her eyes at him. "See? And already it helps. Perv!"

He cocked an eyebrow at her when she unfastened her seatbelt and got up. "Where're ya goin'?"

"Restroom, honey. Think you can stay calm for a couple of minutes?" she teased him playfully and he glared at two guys that were clearly staring at her.

Heaving a deep breath, Logan tried to relax and looked out of the window. They still had at least 4 hours to go and he felt miserable beyond words. If he could, he would parachute out of that plane. He hated flying. He still didn't know what had gotten into him to book that flight. And it didn't help at all that this goddamn pilot loved to fly curves.

"Are you going to Paris too?" a female voice asked to his far left and he turned just to feel the strong need to groan inwardly. It was one of the chicks that had already winked at him at the airport and didn't make any secret out of her intentions. She was accompanied by Stupid Blonde 2 and 3, all of them flashing their bright smiles at him and obviously dying for a reply.

"That's not the plane t'Timbuktu then?" he grunted and he couldn't believe they actually laughed. Where the hell was Jean?

"You're funny!" Stupid Blonde 2 giggled and he heaved a very deep breath.

"Do you know that redhead next to you? I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind switching seats with us. Don't you think girls?" Stupid Blonde 1 suggested and received excited nods. "We should ask her."

"Right…," Logan nodded annoyed. "Coz 3 fit into one seat…"

"Well, two can sit on your lap, right, girls?"

Logan rolled his eyes at that and gave his watch an impatient look.

"What hotel are you staying at?" Stupid Blonde 3 asked next.

"Not yours!"

"We're staying at the Park Hyatt," she informed him and he, again, groaned inwardly.

Of course they were staying at _this _hotel. Just his luck. He sighed and got up.

"Where're you going, sugar?" Stupid Blonde 1 asked curiously and he gave her a rather sour smile that still made her grin even wider at him.

"I just decided t'jump outta this plane," he replied and turned, shaking his head at their happy giggles. He stopped in front of the restroom and knocked. "Darlin'?" he asked and waited, hearing her opening the door.

"What is it? Do you feel sick?" she asked concerned and fumbled with her hair.

Taking her in, he smirked and looked to his right and left before he entered the way too small restroom, closing the door behind him and locked it.

"Logan!" Jean hissed, but couldn't hide her smile as he squeezed in behind her and kissed the side of her neck, nibbling on it while his hands stroked up her legs and pushed up her skirt. "Perv!"

"Me, darlin'?" he asked and gave her a crocked grin. "Sorry, but who is suddenly wearin' a pretty short skirt, hm?" He chuckled as her face flushed noticeably. "See? Dirty birdy. Just admit ya have been thinkin' about this, Jeannie. Anythin' else would be a lie." He gently bit the crook of her neck, making her gasp and felt some invisible hand making short work of his belt and zipper. He growled low in his throat and his eyes darkened for a moment as his feral side took over.

"Don't you dare tear my undies!" she warned him and bit her lip as he sucked on a sensitive spot on her neck. Her heart was pounding in her chest as he pushed her undies down and her skirt further up, his right leg parting hers as he got into position. Their eyes met in the small mirror in front of them and Jean reached out to brace herself against the wall as he pushed in.

When Logan opened the door again he was instantly met with an angry looking stewardess that was obviously dying to get on his throat. He told Jean mentally to go ahead and that he would deal with that woman. Turning on his charm, he smirked at her and all Jean could see above her shoulder was that the woman turned bright red and turned on her heels faster than she thought was possible on these shoes, whereas Logan looked more than smug and came back over to their seats. She let him sit back on his seat at the window and sat down next to him, glad that there was no armrest between them. A look outside of the window showed her that it was already night on the outside and she stifled a yawn. "What did you tell her that left her so embarrassed?" she asked curiously and snuggled up to him.

Logan chuckled and gave the three blonds, who were glaring at Jean, a glare in return. "I only told her that if she wanted t'join us she could have just knocked."

"You're unbelievable…," she sighed, but smiled and closed her eyes as he wrapped his arm around her to pull her closer. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Much," he nodded and rested his head on top of hers, also closing his eyes. "I'm still gonna kill that bastard!"

"By the way…," she mumbled and yawned. "You're really going to keep that short hair and clean-shaven face for the whole trip?"

"I promised on our weddin' day, didn't I?"

"I'm just saying you don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable, Logan."

He kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer. "I promised so I'm stickin' t'it. Let's sleep now, darlin'. The less I'm aware of that bastard, the better."

"You still want to kill him afterwards anyway…," she mumbled sleepily.

"Ya can bet on it!" he growled.

X

After the, what Logan dubbed _most horrible flight ever_, they had gotten their luggage and travelled toward their hotel. Jean didn't know which hotel Logan had chosen and was now standing in front of the beige colored building with its many bigger and very small balconies, green flowers hanging from them, wide eyed. It looked expensive and, after reading the letters on top of the huge entrance, she knew it was expensive. "Logan…?" she asked and took his hand, earning a cocked eyebrow from him. "We can't afford that."

He chuckled and pulled her into a kiss. "Trust me, darlin'. We can!" he assured her and pulled her with him to the reception, telling the woman behind it in perfect French who they were and that they wanted to check in.

"How?" Jean asked, and her large green eyes took in the expensive decoration and people around them. "It's the Hyatt, Logan. This _is _expensive!"

"You'll be fine, Jeannie!" he said with a grin and left their luggage for it to be send up to their room. He led her over to the elevator and then to their room, a nice and rather large double-bed suit with a nice view on Paris. "So? What do ya think?" he asked and paid the page for carrying their luggage.

"That you are totally insane! We can't afford this!" she said and was amazed by the nice room and view. "Where did you get the money from?" She turned around and he could tell that she was genuinely concerned.

He smirked and went over to wrap his arms around her waist, his lips putting a gentle kiss to her lips. "I'm not poor, Jeannie. I've saved enough money over all the years t'be able t'afford this 'n t'pay for college."

"You never told me…"

"Ya never asked," he shrugged and kissed her again. "There's a nice restaurant down the road. How about eatin' there 'n then I show ya around?" he asked and let go of her so that she could go to the bathroom and freshen up. He too changed into different clothes and was glad that he had, at least, a five o'clock shadow. He felt naked without his muttonshops. Sighing, he ran a hand through his short hair and couldn't help but grin. He loved that woman. He would do anything for her as long as it made her happy. Looking up, he returned the smile Jean was giving him and took their room key and wallet. "Ready t'go?" he asked and she nodded. "Ya look nice, darlin'," he commented on her light white summer dress that hugged her curves nicely and showed off her legs without being too short.

"You don't look half so bad either," she returned the favor and kissed him.

"Yeah, right…," he chuckled since he was wearing, what he would consider, normal clothes. A blue jeans and a simple white shirt over it. He knew she loved him in that combination.

When they left the room, Jean quickly dialed home to let their children know they had arrived safely. Logan reminded them to behave and that their oldest brother and uncle had clear instructions on what to do if they didn't. Of course, Jack promised that he would totally behave and not annoy his sisters ever at all.

"Yeah, right, kiddo!" Logan chuckled and told him to behave and that he loved them before he handed the phone back over to Jean.

"Behave, honey, okay? Yes, I know. Greet the others from us. Love you too. Bye!"

"As if he _totally _behaves!" Logan said and took Jean's hand once more after she had put her phone away. "I give Lily a day before she runs to John or Akihiro!"

"Only a day? Five hours tops!" Jean smiled and leant into him while they were walking down the street. She took all the new impressions in, soaked this peaceful time up. Still, the thought of what the other Logan had told her was still nagging at her. She knew she had to tell Logan about Apocalypse and what happens to Daken in the very close future.

"Somethin' wrong?" she heard him asking and shook her head, smiling.

"Just amazed at this city. I always wanted to come here." She raised her head a bit as he leant in to kiss her. "When have you been here?"

He shrugged. "Several times in the past. Can't remember the exact dates." He turned around a corner and smirked. "It's still here." He nodded at the entrance of a small restaurant.

As they lay in bed later, Logan spooning her and tracing lazy circles in her arm, she thought their first day in Paris over in her mind, smiling contently. The food has been delicious, the restaurant very nice, the waitress's face had been hilarious after her vain attempts to flirt with Logan and being unable to coax the smallest reaction out of him and she just enjoyed their alone-time together, far away from home and any problems, holding hands over a nice candlelight dinner. They didn't have to be responsible for anything for once and could do whatever the hell they wanted. She smiled at that thought and turned around in his light embrace, kissing him hard on the lips.

He smirked, getting the hint. "C'mere," Logan growled and pulled her on top of him, his hands stroking up her back until they found the clip of her bra. Quickly, he opened it and threw the annoying fabric aside, enjoying the view with a devilish smirk. He kissed her back, felt her tucking gently on his lower lip and growled deep in his throat as she rubbed against him. Her hands were buried in his much shorter hair and tucked gently on it as she lay flat on top of him, her tongue caressing his, dancing and teasing it until his hands disappeared in her panties and massaged her butt. She sighed into his mouth, her pelvis rubbing against his very noticeable arousal and she suddenly smirked against his lips, breaking their contact and biting her swollen lips, smiling. He cocked an eyebrow at her and smirked as she began to kiss down his chest and abs, her hands stroking down the path additionally until she had reached her destination. He growled as she looked up at him, eyes fiery with passion. Unconsciously, he spread his legs a bit, his eyes never leaving hers as she kept contact while taking him into her hands and a seductive grin became visible on her lips before she licked his head teasingly. Jean enjoyed the power she had over him as he threw his head back with a groan, knew exactly what she had to do, where to nib, suck or lick to turn him into a begging mess, and she was very much determined to exactly that.

It didn't take long and she had turned the supposedly most dangerous man into a puddle of whimpering mess. His hands were gently buried in her long hair, holding it back from her and only applying as much pressure as she would tolerate. She loved the trust between them, knew he would never go further than she would accept and that she could try whatever she wanted with him. He would simply let her have her fun and trusted her fully. As she felt him tugging on her hair, a low whimper escaping his mouth, she looked up, but continued what she was currently doing.

"Baby…," Logan croaked and his abs began to tense dangerously, his hands weakly trying to push her head back, but she would have none of it. "Jeannie… I can't…"

"Then don't," she told him mentally and braced herself as he buckled his hips and warmth spread in her mouth accompanied by low groans that escaped his throat. She looked up at the panting and sweaty mess in front of her, wiping her mouth clean and moving up again to kiss him hard. He growled low at the taste of her and still tried to get his breathing under control.

"I take it you quite enjoyed yourself?" Jean asked innocently and he narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Vixen!" Logan grunted and pulled her into a passionate kiss, rolling them over. Before she had realized it he had her hands pinned above her head and was smirking darkly at her.

"Do I get punished now?" she asked innocently.

"Ya can bet on it, darlin'!" He held her hands down with his left and began to suck and bite on the sensitive skin below her ear, a gesture that made her arch her back almost immediately. As he left love bites all over her skin, his right hand stroked down her body, kneading, squeezing and teasing her left breast as he descended further down. He smirked as she willingly spread her legs for him and a whimper escaped her as his hand began to pleasure her teasingly, only enough for her to get turned on, but never enough to get her rocks off. He deliberately left her in the state in between, knowing how frustrated and excited it made her.

"Logan!" she cried in complete frustration as he denied her release once more and whimpered as he sucked hard on the side of her throat, right above the pulse point.

"Are ya beggin', darling?" he chuckled low and trailed kisses along her jaw, his tongue licking down a path to her bellybutton. He could literarily feel her utter frustration.

"No!" she whined and arched her back as he sucked on her breasts, his pelvis rubbing against her in almost slow motion.

"No?" he mumbled against her skin and went further down, kissing the inside of her thighs, chuckling as she groaned in frustration. "Doesn't sound like it, baby…"

"I'm not beg…," Jean began halfheartedly as he licked up and sucked on her most sensitive area, eliciting a loud moan from her.

"Ya sure?" he asked, licking his lips and grinning up at her, laughing as she desperately tried to get the tiniest friction with her nether regions. He continued his loving torture until she was trashing underneath him, her voice filling the room in pleasure, the bed shaking underneath her powers. His arms encircled her legs, raised her hip for better access and he went down on her until she was a moaning and weeping mess. The moment her body shuddered and arched against him he turned her around so that her back was facing him, biting the crook of her neck gently as he got into position and joined them in one swift move.

As Jean awoke a couple of hours later she stretched and looked to the side to check the time. Yawning, she turned around in the embrace Logan had her in and faced her still sleeping husband. Smiling, she began tracing his features and it didn't take long for him to grab her growling and roll them around so that he was on top. "Mornin'," he smirked and kissed her throat lazily, hiding his face in the crook of her neck.

"We definitely need more alone time at home…," Jean yawned and he muttered a "Yeah" into her shoulder before he rolled off her to stretch. "What are we going to do today?" she asked and he chuckled. "What?"

"Nothin'. It's just great not t'have t'say _teachin'_ or _suitin' up t'fight Magneto_…stuff like that."

She nodded. "Yeah. Just living into the day for once is nice."

"Just how I like it," he smirked and got up, not caring that he was completely naked. "So how about we have breakfast 'n then just see where the day takes us?" he asked her and she nodded smiling. He waited for her to get up and took his shirt that she wanted to pull over her head out of her hands. "I already have a very nice idea how t'start the day," he said and wobbled his eyebrows grinning.

"Which is?" she asked and tilted her head so that he could access her neck better.

"Nice _hot _shower."

"Is that so?"

"Ya bet on it, darlin'!" he grinned and pulled her with him.

A good while later, he closed the door behind them and took her hand in order to head over to the elevators. He smirked as she smiled up at him and turned his head the next moment as he picked up on a noise to his far left. A groan escaped him.

"What's the matter?" Jean asked and looked down the corridor where she saw three blondes heading their way, looking at Logan and starting to chat animatedly. "Weren't they in the plane with us? Sitting on my left?"

"Yeah. Darlin', meet Stupid Blonde 1, 2 'n 3. They are dense like a brick wall. Can't believe they really are in the same hotel," he grunted and pressed the elevator button repeatedly.

"It won't make it come up faster, honey." Jean reached out to take his hand off the elevator button, stepping closer to him as the three blondes joined them. She didn't miss their suggestive smiles and desperate attempts to get Logan's attention. A look at him was enough to tell that he was completely annoyed. Squeezing his hand, she smiled at him and received one in return and if looks could kill the redhead would have dropped dead. "You know," she told Logan mentally as they entered the elevator and made sure she was standing as close to him as possible, "it would be so much fun, if Akihiro were here. He would give them a scare for life. He can't stand women like them."

He smirked and pulled her closer to him, glaring at Stupid Blonde 1 as she was trying to adjust her bra. A beep in his pants made him look down and he took his phone, frowning at it.

"Don't tell me our kids burned down the mansion…," Jean whined, but he shook his head.

"No, Akihiro asked if he could take my bike…," Logan told her and heard her letting out a deep breath in relief while he was busy typing a reply. He looked briefly up as Stupid Blonde 1, 2 and 3 were whispering. "Since when does he ask for things?! He usually just takes'em."

The door opened and they stepped out, followed by his stalkers. "Well, I didn't want to say anything, but…"

"But what?" he asked, put the phone away and took her hand again, following her to the area where they served breakfast.

"Jean-Paul and he seem to be awfully close after…you know…the last battle. They fight less, your son is completely content and calm, I hardly hear him bitching about things, he did his kitchen duty, which he _never _did before and he's actually pretty sweet lately!" Jean said and looked at the huge buffet in front of them. She couldn't help it. What the other Logan ha told her immediately crossed her mind once more. "I'm…afraid what might happen or what he'd do if they ever split up…"

Logan huffed. "I doubt that will happen anytime soon. They're practically joined at the hip…"

"Well accidents can always happen, Logan…," she said out loud before she could stop herself and noticed the frown he was giving her.

"Sounds t'me as if ya know somethin', darlin'," he said and took another bread roll before he poured himself coffee.

"No," she quickly said, too fast for his liking. "I save that spot for us." She pointed at an empty table and disappeared, feeling his eyes on her even as she reached the table and sat down. She let out a shaky breath and took the bowl with fruit. Her green eyes travelled around the room, watched couples, singles and children for a while, thinking about how she had destroyed all of it just to rebuild it again. The thought frightened her. She had played God, had tasted the full extent of her powers and being able to do things like this scared her. She looked up as she felt eyes on her and looked straight into blue ones, a blond, rather handsome man sat at the table right opposite of her and smiled. She gave a brief polite smile back and turned her head to find Logan in the mass of people that had begun to pour into the room. She spotted him standing in line for some bacon, the blondes obviously having taken their chance to pester him again. She watched them for a good while, wondering how old they actually were. To her they didn't look older than maybe 20 or 21, but she knew from experience that you could never be too sure. They could be mutants in the end. Lost in thought she kept on watching them, completely forgetting her surroundings.

"Excuse me. May I?" someone suddenly asked and before Jean had the chance to react or even realize who it was the blond guy had already sat down, showing off his way too white and even teeth. "I'm Richard," he introduced himself and Jean sat up a bit straighter, forcing a smile. "I already noticed you yesterday at the elevator. Where are you from?"

"New York…," Jean muttered and rubbed her arm uncomfortably.

"Oh really? I have a penthouse there!" he told her excitedly and began to chat away about his career and lifestyle and why he was in France and if she had already seen the Eiffel Tower and…

"Get lost, bub!" a growl announced no other than Logan, who was glaring daggers at Richard and Jean let out a sigh in relief. Angry haze eyes met arrogant blue ones and both men began to seize each other up for a coffin. "Sittin' on yer ears?"

"And you are?" Richard asked in a snobbish tone that gave Jean the great desire to smack him.

"My husband."

"Her husband!" Logan said at the same time as Jean had spoken up and Richard gave her a look, then him.

He stood up, making Logan straighten himself to his full height, which, as Jean noticed amused, was almost two heads taller than poor Richard, who had obviously noticed his dilemma too and became aware of Logan's physical attributes next. "Never mind then…," he croaked and slipped past Logan like a mouse would from a trap.

Jean couldn't help but laugh. "Did you have to intimidate him so much?" she chastised Logan, who sat down, looking rather grumpy.

"Did ya have t'allow him t'sit on yer table?" he countered and made her groan.

"No jealousy now, please! Don't ruin the morning with it, Logan," she begged, but he huffed. "As if he could hold a candle to you. Seriously. Don't get me started on those three blondes."

He turned his head and saw them winking at him from a neighboring table and groaned. "Maybe I should really tell Akihiro t'get his ass here…."

"Well, call him…," Jean shrugged and frowned as he took his phone and pressed speed dial. "What are you doing?"

"Calling him!"

"It's the middle of the night in New York, Lo…," she began and could clearly hear a pissed off voice on the phone. "Now you made him mad!"

He waved off. "That was just Jean-Paul. When's he not a drama queen? Besides Akihiro texted me so he's awake." He waited and got up. "Hey kid. Do yer old man a favor, will ya? I'm bein' pestered by three blond kids here who have trouble getting' my age into their heads." He stopped at their table, smirking devilishly at them. "Here!" He handed Stupid Blonde 2 his phone and she and her friends began to listen intently to whatever Daken was telling her on the other side. Their eyes became huge first, focused on Logan in utter shock next and before he could ask they had dropped his phone and practically ran out of the room. Frowning, he took the phone again and walked back over to Jean. "That worked better than expected. What on earth did ya tell'em?" he asked, already fearing the answer.

"I told them you were a serial killer that fled recently out of prison and were now on the run in France," Daken's smooth voice told him over the phone.

"Ya didn't!" Logan said, shocked.

"Of course not, daddy!" his son said and Logan could practically see the huge shit-eating grin on his son's face that always appeared when he was amused. "I told them that I was your gay lover and that I don't really appreciate them interrupting your holidays with dear old mom," Daken replied sweetly and uttered a pained hiss in the next moment. "Sweetness, that hurt!"

Jean frowned as Logan's face fell. "Ya did NOT!"

"Yes, I did. That's what you get for interrupting our mind blowing sex here, daddy. And if you wouldn't mind, but my sweetness here is getting rather impatient and I'd like to be able to sit tomorrow."

Logan groaned. "Jesus, kid, I don't wanna know!"

"Then hang up or I'm going to tell you exactly what he's currently doing with his…"

Logan pressed rather quickly the red button on his phone. "What did ya say again about Akihiro getting' better?!"

"Is he not?"

"NO?!" Logan shuddered and pushed his plate away. "I ain't hungry anymore…"

"That bad?" Jean asked, smirking while she ate her yoghurt.

"You've no idea, Jean!"

"I told you not to call them in the middle of the night." She shrugged and received a cocked eyebrow.

"It's 4 something a.m. at home. Who's havin' sex this late at night?"

"We did?"

"That's diff…." He gave up. "Well at least he's happy… 'n I got rid of these blocks of wood…," he grumbled and drank his black coffee.

"So what did he tell them? They ran as if a killer was after them," she asked curiously.

"Ya seriously don't wanna know!" he muttered and emptied his mug. "Ready? I need fresh air!" He waited for her to nod before he leapt out of his stool. "Good. C'mon. Lotta things t'see 'n whoever calls from home I ain't available!" he told her before they left the hotel to enjoy another nice day in Paris.

**As I said: some reviewers wanted LJ, you got it and I hope you enjoyed it. I know the epilogue chapters are much shorter, but this gives me the chance to round the chapter up (more or less) nicely and to update faster. I'm currently my last day on holiday and will have proper internet again tomorrow (I hope). I'm sorry for not getting back to those who left a review. I was in Rome first and right afterwards in Cologne for a day, as soon as I was back home I had to pack again. So I was busy, busy. Please leave a review anyway and let me know what you think. They are always greatly appreciated! : )**


	30. Epilogue 6

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**In-between chapter. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on the last two chapters. Thanks!**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 6**

The mansion's grounds were already occupied by the few students that stayed at school for summer break as one after the next mutant woke slowly up. While Jean and Logan were still in Paris for two days and the Professor attended a meeting with Hank and Moira the others enjoyed their days off and were currently sitting together at the breakfast table.

Scott, who was still sleepy, yawned while he was feeding Ruby with one hand and downed his breakfast with the other. Raven sat next to him, feeding Sara and watching over Alex eating his breakfast. Absentmindedly, they listened to Jack and Lily chatting and teasing each other, Jack having fun picking on his sisters, who would have none of it. He shook his head at the half-ferals. Thank God his darling boy was different…

"So how did the mission go? I didn't hear you guys coming back at night," Kitty asked and chewed her cereals.

"You were on a mission, Uncle Scott?" Lily asked curiously and he nodded. "Is that were our brother went?"

"Yes, Akihiro accompanied me. But it was nothing dangerous. We only visited Doctor Strange and had a talk," Scott said and gave them a brief and child-friendly rundown of the mission that Daken and Domino had accompanied him to, leaving out the bitchy stuff curtsey to his two companions. He had no idea how he had gotten himself into the situation, but trying to keep them for tearing each other's throats out was harder than solving the actual problem. If he was sure about one thing then it was the very fact that Logan and he had _never _hated each other as much as Daken and Domino did. He had been glad when Sabretooth had pulled Domino away and regretted it deeply that Jean-Paul had once more been in Canada and couldn't help out with the feral. He sighed heavily and wondered where they were. In the end, Sabretooth was already enjoying his breakfast. At least what could be described as _enjoying _in his case…

"Where's niichan?" Jack asked and looked at him, but Scott shrugged.

"Still sleeping I guess. We came back home late." He hoped Daken wouldn't arrive at the same time as Domino…

In his room, Daken was indeed still sleeping. As he woke he stretched and let out a loud sigh. He blinked against the blinds that let in too much daylight for his taste and closed his eyes again. A frown became suddenly visible on his face and he sat up. The room was definitely NOT his, the bed was NOT his and his mind went back in time, following each step he had taken after that dreadful mission. He had gone into HIS room and had fallen asleep in HIS bed, so where the hell was he now?! He sniffed, but couldn't pick up on anything unusual. Shrugging, he got out of bed, looked down at himself and jumped backwards in shock, hitting the bed with his legs and fell backwards flat on his back. He let out a yell at the pain that shot up his spine and began to pant. This was a nightmare, he tried to reassure himself. He was still in bed, sleeping. Yeah, that had to be it. This nightmare couldn't be true. With a shaky hand, he touched his chest and let out a shocked whimper. No, he wouldn't freak out. He _never _freaked out. His hand shook even harder as he raised the waistband of his hideous looking briefs and his eyes grew wide at what they saw. Now, he was definitely allowed to scream in sheer horror. "IT'S GONE!"

In the kitchen Sabretooth looked up alarmed and got off his stool.

"What's the matter?" Scott asked, but Domino suddenly appeared in the door at the same time as… "Oh no…" As Daken. "Please…," he begged and didn't notice the horrified look the two mutants gave each other. "Don't start your bitching that early in the morning. Do me the favor!"

"You… You…," Daken began and looked Domino up and down in horror, his finger pointing at her. "Oh my God!"

"What did you do?!" Domino snapped back. "You fucking…"

Rachel's eyes grew wide. "Uncle Scott! She used the F-word!"

"Yeah, I heard. Okay kids. Go outside and play!" He waited for them to be gone before he closed the door, now looking at the two mutants for real. "What the hell is wrong with you two?!" Both let out a whimper and pointed at the other. "What?! Cat got your tongue?" Scott looked aside as the backdoor opened and let out a sigh in relief. "Oh, thank God you're here…"

"Yeah, I love to see you too. Not!" Jean-Paul frowned tiredly and his eyes lit up as he saw his boyfriend. "Hey, baby. Sorry I wanted to be back faster, but the phone kept on ringing." He rolled his eyes at that memory and pulled him in for a kiss.

Ororo watched how the speedster froze and withdrew slowly and she could swear she had never seen anyone switching from a look that screamed "love" to an ice-cold glare that gave you chills that fast. She craned her neck to see if Daken had lipstick somewhere.

"Who…are you?!" Jean-Paul seethed and pushed the feral against the fridge hard, holding him there angrily.

"He's your boyfriend. Remember? The one you made out with all day two days ago," Kitty spread sarcasm and looked to and fro between them.

"No, you're not him," Jean-Paul growled and narrowed his eyes to slits, his baby blue irises blazing. He tapped the side of his head. "Hiro and I have a connection. _You _are not him. Where's he and what did you do to him?!" He jerked his head aside as Domino tapped his shoulder and nearly jumped out of his skin as she kissed him.

"Oh my…," Jubilee cried and Sabretooth bared his teeth. "…God…"

Ororo, whose jaw had as much dropped as Scott's and anyone else's in the room, exchanged a look with the man next to her. "Did you smoke pot on your so-called-mission?" she whispered and looked at Jean-Paul, who was pale as a ghost. "Darn… I think she gave him a trauma just now…" She watched how the speedster was staring at Domino in shock, then back at Daken and back again at Domino.

"Crissé…," he cursed and let go of the feral just to put his hands on Domino's shoulders, looking her up and down.

"Take yer fuckin' hands off her!" Sabretooth snapped, but the speedster didn't even bother to look up.

"What happened? Who did this?!" he asked and hugged Domino back as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Raven…," Scott asked Mystique, who was staring at the whole scene as speechlessly as he was. "I'm not asleep anymore, right? I'm not in fact lying in bed and having a terrible nightmare, right?" She shook her head. "So you actually see JP hugging Domino and her hugging him back?" She nodded. "I'm in hell…" He suddenly noticed how Jean-Paul was glaring at him. "Here begins the drama…"

"I'm gone for one day. Just _one_!" he seethed and pointed at Domino. "And you manage that _my _boyfriend is stuck in her body?!"

"Hold on, I didn't…," Scott began as what he had just heard reached his brain. "Hold on…WHAT?!"

"You didn't notice?!" Jean-Paul cried in utter disbelief. "Akihiro's mind is in Domino's body and I'm pretty sure that she is currently stuck in his body. WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Time for jaw dropping, round 2.

"Oh shit…," Scott said and slumped back down on his stool.

"Ya mean my girl is stuck in his fucking body?" Sabretooth growled and "Daken" nodded quickly.

"I know, right?" he whined and grabbed his chest. "My boobs are gone! And…and I'm stuck with this fucking thing between my legs!"

"My dick is nice, bitch! Don't you dare touch it!" "Domino" snapped and bared her teeth. "I'm stuck in your ugly body, with your ugly face and even worse I got your fucking boobs, Splodgeeye!"

"Why don't you shove them up your…?" "Daken yelled back and Jean-Paul stopped between them.

"Stop!"

"This is a nightmare…," Scott threw up his hands, being glad that he had handed his daughter over to Hank. "And the Professor is gone. And Jean is gone. Where are all the telepaths when you need one?!"

"Maybe we could call…," Jubilee suggested.

"No! Jean said only in case of an emergency." Ororo shook her head and frowned as Jean-Paul, Daken, Domino and pretty much the rest of the room gave her blank stares. "What?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Ororo, but _this_," Jean-Paul pointed between Domino and Daken, "is a fucking emergency!"

Mystique sighed and shook her head, patting her baby girl's back gently. "It's been done by magic. How about you get back to Doctor What's-his-face and request an immediate change? Tell him our sanity is at stake because I definitely refuse to listen to their bitching until that spell wears off!"

Scott went straight to the phone as Hank suddenly started laughing. "What's so funny?" he asked and dialed the Avengers tower.

"This is hilarious," Hank laughed and only stopped as he received glares. "I'm sorry. But it is."

"Hey, Tony, it's me. We've got an emergency!" Scott told the Avenger and rubbed his forehead. "I don't care how you do it, but get Doctor Strange here _asap_!"

The room was chilly as hell as they waited for Doctor Strange to arrive. While Northstar sat next to Domino and held her hand, Sabretooth couldn't stay farther away from Daken and hadn't even entered the room. It felt like ages before the door opened and Tony presented the very Doctor Strange, who smirked at both Domino and Daken.

"I see the spell was a success," he chuckled and crossed his arms over his bluish robe.

Scott held a hand up before either mutant could start snapping or spilling insults. "Why did you do this to them?"

"Why? Easy answer. Domino here stole something from me a few months ago. And this fellow here," he pointed at Daken with a glare. "He and I clashed heads several time and he has wounded me deeply. So I had every right to get back at them and it was a great opportunity to have both at the same place at the same time. Oh, and that you hate each other makes the whole situation even the funnier."

"Funnier?" Northstar asked. "You turned my boyfriend into…" He pointed at Domino.

"_Boyfriend_?! Either you are mentally as insane as he is or…" Doctor Strange waved off. "Anyway. I have no reason, no reason at all to take my spell back." He smirked.

"So you mean…," Tony pointed back and forth between Daken and Domino, receiving a nod from his fellow Avenger. "Hahaha!" he began to laugh and forced himself to stop as he noticed the icy glares. "I'm sorry!" he quickly said, just to laugh again. "That is… No I'm not. This is hilarious." He pulled out his phone and pressed record. "Say _hi _to Avengers News Network." He giggled giddily and shook his head. "This is awesome."

"No, it's not!" Daken and Domino said at the same time and immediately glared at each other.

"See? First time you ever shared the same opinion," Tony said and snapped his phone shut. "I gotta call Pepper. She'll _love _this!" He left the room, still laughing aloud.

Scott sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Listen… It wasn't them that did those things to you. I don't know if you've heard about…"

"…the battle with Apocalypse and that Jean Grey transferred your minds to this alternative reality? Yes, I did," Doctor Strange replied and shrugged. "I mean I could forgive Domino. It was just a minor thing her other-self stole, but you…" He looked at Daken for a long while and sighed. "Fine. I don't want to be the reason for a war between our groups." He snapped his fingers once and grinned. "Better?"

"Oh thank God…," Domino cried and touched her body to make sure she was definitely back in her own. As she looked up she laughed.

"This…isn't…funny!" Daken seethed and glared at her. "Change me back! Now!" he hissed through bared teeth, but Doctor Strange only chuckled.

"No, I won't. And come on. You look hot. I'd do you." He winked and if it hadn't been for Northstar to quickly wrap his arms around the feral the Doctor would have found himself impaled on claws. "You deserve this. I hardly doubt you are any different than your other reality-you. And besides, come on… I could have turned you into a cat or a dog. This is not so bad. You're even still your very beautiful self. Nice curves by the way." He winked with a grin, whereas Daken seethed with fury.

"Come one. You had your fun. Change him back!" Jean-Paul pleaded.

"No. This spell will last a month."

"You fucking piece of shit! I don't even know you!" Daken roared and pushed against Northstar who held him in place.

Doctor Strange narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers. "That's two months."

"You…," Daken began but Jean-Paul quickly covered his mouth.

"Shut up, Hiro. Don't make it even worse!" he pleaded and gave the magician a look. "You do realize that you are punishing me with it too, right? And our son?" The Avenger simply shrugged. "What? You don't care?!"

"No. Maybe that will teach this arrogant prick a lesson." He threw his robe over his shoulder. "Two months. What's so bad about it?"

"Maybe that I'm gay?" Northstar spat before pointing at Daken. "And he's not what someone like me would call _sexually attractive_ because you turned him into a FUCKING WOMAN?!" he shouted the last two words, feeling as pissed off as Daken clearly was. He squeezed the bridge of his nose and heaved a very deep breath. "You know that other version of him. You don't know him and he isn't like that! I can assure you that he isn't! Plus, we have a little son. What are we supposed to tell him? That Dumbledor on meth thought it was funny to turn his daddy into a girl?!"

"He's actually right. Our Daken isn't that bad, you know?" Kitty said. "He has his moments, sure, but he's actually quite cool."

"Two months still. I can't take that spell back without consequences for his body and mind," Doctor Strange replied and went for the door. "Oh, and just an advice for you two." He pointed at the speedster and the feral, who were both glaring daggers at him. "He's a _full_ function woman. Just saying."

"That's supposed to mean…what?" Jean-Paul asked, his voice dripping with hatred and sarcasm.

"I think you know _what_." Strange winked at him and opened the door. "If he doesn't change automatically back after exactly 60 days after midnight…" He took in a sharp breath, shook his hand and wobbled his head.

"You did get the part about being gay, right?" Northstar huffed and wanted to punch the man's goddamn grin off his face.

"Just a warning. See you around, guys!" He laughed and closed the door behind him, hearing clearly how something smashed to pieces against the wood.

"That was an expensive vase…," Scott muttered darkly and was flipped off by Daken. "I know this sucks, but he is right in one point, you know?"

"Which is?" Daken sneered and slumped back down next to Northstar, feeling the great urge to cry.

"You are extremely beautiful. So be happy that you still got your beauty. He could have turned you into a dog as he said." Scott heaved a deep breath. "Plus, if you had yourself better under control, it would have been 30 days. So…" He shrugged. "God, Logan will so kill me…"

Northstar sat down next to Daken, angry and desperate at the same time. He looked at the man, no, girl next to him who had her face buried in her hands. "Are you crying?" he whispered and his jaw dropped as his suspicion was confirmed when Daken turned his head briefly. "You never cry…"

"Girls always cry!" the feral sobbed and turned so that he could do said thing into Northstar's chest. "I want to die…"

"Jeez, drama queen," Domino got up and stretched her arms. "It's just two months and it's your own fault. Can't help it if no one likes you."

"Fuck you!" Northstar snapped at her with a glare.

She shrugged and walked over to the door. "Oh…," she turned and grinned at them. "I totally forgot, you're also not getting some for two months. Damn, it sucks to be you, Princess." She snickered and closed the door behind her.

"I hate that bitch!" the Quebecois growled and pulled the devastated Daken closer. "Two months. He can't be fucking serious!"

"Well, he is. We can't change that." Scott got up and his phone vibrated. One look at it and his face fell. "Fuck… It's Logan. What am I going to tell him?" He looked at Ororo, Kitty and Hank helplessly.

"That he will be in for a great surprise?" Hank shrugged.

"Don't tell him anything. They'll be back in two days anyway," Ororo suggested and got up. "And you two better go shopping. He needs clothes for the next two months."

Northstar watched how Scott left the room to talk to Logan in private. "I can't go shopping with him.." He closed his eyes. "Her…"

"Why not?" Ororo frowned and crossed her arms.

"Because I can't be seen with her!" Daken looked up, eyes blazing in anger. "That's not how I meant it. I wanted to tell you, but this whole mess came down upon us. The newspapers were full of us, meaning male-you and me, having dinner together. They know I'm dating some _exotic, beautiful unknown guy_ and they are following me around like sharks and asking stupid questions. This means we, meaning female-you and me, will be followed around. What am I supposed to tell them?!"

"Jean-Paul…," Kitty said, her chin resting on her hands and her eyes giving him her best _you-are-dumb-_look. "They know you are the gayest mutant on this planet…"

"Ah!" he held up a hand. "Not the gayest. I don't fulfill any stereotype, dear!"

"Whatever," she waved off. "They know you are gay and wouldn't touch a woman for money, so just tell him that poor Akihiro here is the sister of your sweetheart, who came over to visit from Japan."

He thought about it and snapped his finger at her. "Kitty, you're a genius!"

"I know. This team needs people like me with an actual brain," she nodded and watched him pulling Daken up. "And Akihiro?" she asked and their eyes met. "I'm really sorry for you… Honestly. What he did was…"

"Thanks…," Daken muttered and followed Jean-Paul to their room where he remained leaning against the door. If being constantly attacked by your emotions and hormones meant to be a woman, he would seriously consider jumping from the Empire State building. He couldn't describe in words how he was feeling. Unhappy and devastated didn't cut it.

"Hey…," the speedster said and cupped his cheek, which made him look up. "We'll manage, okay? This sucks, but… We survived worse."

"You mean dying by a bomb is worse than having no sex for two months?!" Daken asked and closed his eyes, leaning forward until his forehead touched the speedster's chest. He couldn't believe this asshole magician even made him at least two and a half head smaller than Northstar. At least he had some decent breasts. At least from what he could tell... "I want to die…," he cried and felt like crying again.

"Jesus, Hiro. Cut out that crying. Seriously," Jean-Paul groaned, but hugged him close anyway. "C'mon, let's get you some stuff to wear. You're about my sister's size. Maybe she can borrow you some stuff? Because I have no idea what women wear. Sorry."

"You don't know shit about fashion anyway!" Daken sniffed and wiped his face. "I hate this. This sucks!"

"Well, yeah it does. We can't change it now though…," Jean-Paul sighed and took his phone, going through his calendar. "He said exactly 60 days at midnight, right? That would mean….October 18 going 19." He marked that day with an alarm in his phone. When he looked up, he looked straight into chocolate brown eyes that, despite the very much feminine look, were still beautiful and captivating as hell. He sighed and pulled Daken close, chuckling at the size difference. "God, you are tiny…"

"Shut up!"

"I'm afraid that I might break you," Jean-Paul laughed and received a slap against his chest. He let out a playful "Ow. That hurt. Not!"

"Shut up!"

"C'mon. Let's get this over with and go shopping. But don't you dare spending three hours in one shop again or I'll kill you!"

Daken huffed. "_You _are way too fond of me as that you'd only remotely lay a hand on me, koishi!"

"True." Northstar looked to the side as his phone began to ring. He checked the caller-ID and paled. "Fuck, it's your father… What am I supposed to tell him?"

"That his son had a sex change!" Daken grumbled and noticed the blank stare the other man was giving him. He crossed his arms and legs. "DON'T…you dare tell him that!"

"Then what else?!"

A knock interrupted them and Kitty's head appeared. "Hey! Jubilee and I need to head over to the mall. We can take Akihiro with us, if he wants."

"Do it and leave your phone here. I bet Logan wants to talk to you," the speedster looked at the phone, which has suddenly stopped blaring, just for it to start again. He excused himself and went into the bathroom.

"I'm NOT going out of the house, looking like _that_!" Daken snapped and pointed at the _Hello Kitty_-briefs and pink tank top Doctor Strange had summoned.

"I got you some of my clothes," Jubilee, who had appeared behind Kitty suddenly grinned and dropped them in front of a disgusted looking Daken.

"No!"

"No?"

"Definite NO!" The feral crossed his arms.

"What's wrong with them?" Jubilee sulked and mimicked his stance.

"They are yellow! Yellow is out. I'd rather go naked."

"Fine," the woman shrugged, gathered her clothes and left, moping.

"Well, you need something to wear…," Kitty muttered and ran a hand through her long hair. "Oh, wait. I'll ask one of the students. She's about our size." She stormed off and Daken dropped on the bed with a heavy sigh. He startled as Kitty suddenly phased through the ceiling a few minutes later. "Here! Something to wear, something for your hair and some flip-flops."

He reached slowly out and took the piece of fabric from her. "It's…"

"What? Cotton and not silk? The wrong color? Too much fabric?" Kitty asked annoyed and received a glare.

"…a dress!"

"So? You're a girl right now, girls wear dresses!" Kitty defended the dress and crossed her arms.

"I don't!"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Then go in your underwear, I don't care!" she huffed and walked over to the door, stopping there. "If you change your mind, we'll wait another ten minutes!" With that she was gone and left him to glare at the dress.

After doing exactly that for a couple of minutes and picturing every possible way of torturing and killing Doctor Strange, he finally took the dress and put it on, glaring at himself in the mirror with sheer hatred. Angrily, he changed his now long, black and silky hair into a ponytail and was so busy fuming that he didn't hear the bathroom door being closed.

"Logan knows that…," Northstar began, looking up from his phone and freezing on the spot. "Oh…" His baby blue eyes took the sight on front of him in and wondered how he should get used to _this _in the next to month. "You look…ehm…," he began and gesticulated with his hand, trying to find the right words and hoping to not piss of the feral further. "Nice? I guess…" It wasn't even so much of a lie. Even if he didn't find woman sexual attractive he could still tell if someone was pretty or beautiful and the feral still was the latter. He still had his high, now softer cheekbones, the full lips, perfectly shaped almond eyes with deep brown irises to die for. The thick hair still looked soft and silky. The teeth were even and white, the curve of the neck now softer, but still elegant and the rest, as far as he could judge, looked what straight man would definitely find attractive. "You sure you wanna go alone?" he asked, now feeling rather scared to let the feral out of his sight with a summer dress that short. "I mean… "

"Scared I might seduce someone?" Daken huffed and crossed his arms.

"No, rather worried about you in a dress that short," the speedster pointed at it and put the phone on its station. "Anyway, Logan definitely knows something's wrong. He kept on bugging me to tell him. And we definitely can't hide you from him, Hiro!"

"Oh, really?" Daken muttered and took one of his many credit cards. "I will definitely _not _face my father looking like _this_!" he added angrily and sent Kitty a short text that he was on his way.

"Why? It's not your fault!"

"Because _this_," Daken snapped and swirled around. "is degrading, humiliating and shameful! I can't face my father like this and see him being disappointed in me."

Jean-Paul frowned. "Logan would never be disappointed in you. He'd rather be furious with the damn mage."

"Whatever!" Daken threw up his hands in utter frustration and headed for the door. "I'll bring heavy booze back so you better find a babysitter, because I intend to get very drunk later and you'll join me!" he announced and opened the door as Northstar stopped him. "What?"

"Are you not saying bye like usual?" the speedster demanded to know and came to a halt in front of him.

"I didn't think you would even remotely touch me," Daken muttered and made his opposite groan.

"You are still you and I love you! This is only temporary. And I told you many, many times that I'd stick to you no matter what, didn't I?" Jean-Paul asked and unfolded Daken's arms to pull him close. "Except for sex in the next two months. That will definitely not happen, sorry." He shrugged and placed a gentle kiss on Daken's lips before he let him go. "Please, behave and no dead bodies, okay?"

"Even when I run into Doctor Soon-to-be-dead?" the feral asked.

"I'm fine with him as a dead body. Very much so."

"Good." Daken closed the door behind him and groaned as he faced a snickering Domino right around the next corner. "Piss off, bitch!"

"Aww, poor little Princess," she mocked and crossed her arms. "Nice dress. Already got in touch with your female side, I see. Lovely! Just too bad your handsome boyfriend won't touch you, hm?" Daken froze and glared at her. She smiled darkly, still remembering how he had seduced and used her back then. "Two months can be a very long time and a guy has needs… Better don't bet on him staying faithful to you. A handsome guy like Jean-Paul can have anyone he likes. And in case you haven't noticed, but there are many, many people on the streets turning their heads for him." She winked and was about to walk past him as he grabbed her arm.

"I know what your problem is, dear," Daken seethed and an arrogant smile was glued to his lips. "You…are just jealous that even as a girl I'm still far more beautiful that you and that next to me no one notices you. Because, honestly, who would actually bother with someone ordinary like you, if they can have me?" he asked her in barely more than a whisper and smiled. "No one! And just an advice… My dear uncle is only using you to get his rocks off. He doesn't care about you in any other way. So how about you get over the crush you have on my father and actually stop being so utterly pathetic?" He ducked as she tried to punch him and chuckled. Smirking, he turned around and walked a bit before he turned around once more. "Oh, and just to calm your nerves, but in contrast to you _I _have someone who _loves _me and sticks to me no matter what. Even with this temporary, disgusting body. Just saying." He winked at her and headed for the parking lot.

* * *

As the sun fell into the room and tickled his face he blinked and squinted. Jean-Paul raised his head a bit and immediately groaned as a man in his skull began to use a hammer. "Crissé", he cursed and fell back against the pillows, only half realizing how Daken slept on his chest and had his arms wrapped around him. How much had they drunk? When had they even gone to bed? The last thing he remembered was how Kitty and Jubilee had returned, annoyed at the huge fashion drama Daken had obviously made and with more bags in tow that any mall could ever have. He rubbed his eyes and blinked, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. As promised, Daken had bought some heavy booze and they had drunk, if he was not mistaken, all of it. At least he felt as if he'd been hit by a sledgehammer. "Fuck…," he groaned and felt the feral moving, then uttering a sigh. "Don't even dare to mention how you have so not a headache…," he warned him. "I'll strangle you if you do…"

"Need a painkiller?"

"A whole bottle will do. Better two…," he muttered and cracked an eye open as Daken got up to get them. "Why…are you naked?"

Daken frowned at him as he came back to hand over two aspirin and a glass with water. "You don't remember?"

Northstar swallowed the pills and sat up a bit. "Remember what? All I remember is that we started to drink…," he replied and put the glass on the nightstand. It was then that his heart started to race as a thought hit him. With a trembling hand he lifted the sheets and stared at what was underneath it. "Don't tell me we…" He looked up and gave his opposite a look in sheer horror.

Daken narrowed his eyes. "Wow, I must really disgust you when you're sober… Drunk you didn't mind that much," he huffed and was about to pull a shirt from the ground as someone knocked on the door and Scott's head appeared.

"Whoops, did I interrupt something?" he asked and blushed.

"No!" Northstar snapped and quickly covered Daken up with the sheets. "What do you want?"

"Well, Logan just called. They are on their way back."

Daken's eyes grew wide and he exchanged a look with the speedster. "You said _two_ days!"

"Ororo might have written down the wrong date…," Scott shrugged. "Sorry… So how do we tell him?"

"Not at all!" the feral quickly said and both men gave him a look. "I don't want him to know!"

Northstar sighed. "And how do you intend to hide from Logan? He's already suspicious enough!"

Scott leant against the doorframe. "And why are you so…scared? This mess was certainly not your fault and if Logan will be at someone's throat then it'll be mine and Strange's."

"I have my reasons!" Daken snapped and got dressed, causing Scott to look away with a blush.

"And what do you intend to do?" Jean-Paul demanded to know.

"Canada!"

"Canada?"

Daken nodded. "Yes, Canada!" He looked at Scott. "Just tell him he had to fly up to Canada _again_ and that I had enough and went with him. Problem solved!"

"Hiro, this will certainly _not _solve the problem! One way or the other Logan will find out," Northstar tried to reason with him and received a look.

"Then I'll make sure he will find out in 60 days when this shit here is over. And now help me get packing," the feral snapped and disappeared in the bathroom.

"Trouble in paradise?" Scott asked and received a glare. "Did you guys actually…," he began and quickly raised his hands as Northstar's eyes narrowed even further. "Never mind. I'll instruct the others, but…Logan _will _find out! He always does." With that he closed the door behind him and headed down the corridor.

**Fast update, I know, but this chapter practically wrote itself. Blame the movie **_**It's a BoyGirl Thing**_**. I always wanted to write a bodyswitch chapter since reading the Ultimate Spider-Man issue in which Logan switches with Parker. The initial idea of Scott and Logan was changed, since by now my draft was old and the two don't hate each other that much anymore. As I already told the Facebook group of Changes: Chapter 7 will be family centric and soon there will be a jump in time. Please let me know what you think and leave a ****review****! Take care!**


	31. Epilogue 7

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 7**

"Hey, you're finally back?" Narya said completely surprised and got up to hug her best friend, who gave her a sheepish smile back and embraced her, too. "You look good." She winked and elbowed him playfully, which he commented with a nod at her belly.

"You, too," Northstar replied in surprise and smirked playfully. "About to burst, huh?"

"Hey! Go on with hat and I rethink my idea of asking you to be the godfather, mister!" she said and elbowed him again, which made him chuckle. "All alone? Where's your other half?"

"Bringing the luggage inside," he said and added, "I hope…" He looked around the nearly empty kitchen and then back at her. "Where's Logan?"

"Probably taking the children to bed," Ororo told him and he nodded. She noticed that he suddenly didn't look so playful anymore. "Is something wrong?!"

"Hey, you're not into this annoying on-off-phase with Akihiro again, are you?" Kitty warned him and gave him her best _I hope your kidding me _look.

"No! Besides that hasn't happened in a long time! We were never really _off_!" Jean-Paul said and scratched the back of his head. "He just needs to know something…"

"Oh my God! You're pregnant, is that it?" Jubilee teased him playfully and now it was she who received a look, but she noticed that he had paled for a brief moment.

"Yeah. With a quadruplet, Jubes. You hit the nail!"

"Awesome!" she grinned and he could only shake his head.

"Don't tell me something happened in Canada that includes blood and dead bodies!" Scott said and didn't look happy at all. "Logan said every time he called you were behaving extremely suspicious…"

"Eh,…no," Northstar said. "And I wasn't. He just picked…not so good times to call."

"But it's serious?" Kitty asked and he nodded slowly, shifting the sleeping Kazuki on his arm.

"You can say that…." He looked aside when Daken entered, dropped the car seat next to him and watched how he made his way to the fridge after nodding at the others briefly and pulled a bottle with juice out of it. "So you said Logan's upstairs?"

"I think so," Scott nodded, looking at the car seat and then to and fro between the speedster and feral, who both wore a very serious expression. "Really no dead bodies? And who is this?" He nodded at the sleeping baby in the seat.

"No! No dead bodies!" Northstar assured him quickly, handed Kazu over to Narya, grabbed the car seat and took Daken's hand into his, ushering him out of the room. "C'mon…."

After he had put his cup down, Scott crossed his arms. "Why is it so hard to believe that nothing bad happened in Canada?!" he asked rhetorically and hoped he would hear Logan shouting. At least then he'd know that he was right… "I bet 50 dollars that they screwed up big time. Who's in?"

Upstairs, Jean-Paul heaved a deep breath and gave Daken a look, one hand still holding on to the feral's, the other now touching his chest. "Just…let me talk, okay?" he said nervously and received a nod. "All right…" After heaving another deep breath, he pulled the car seat up and knocked carefully. It didn't take long and the door opened, revealing Jean.

"Hey! You're still alive and finally back?" Jean asked after opening the door and hugged both of them briefly, her eyes falling on the baby. Noticing that something was wrong, she began to look worried. "Did something happen?!"

"What happened?!" Logan instantly asked and came out of the bathroom after picking up on the conversation. "Don't tell me ya caused havoc in Canada! And where the fuck have you two been that long?!"

"No?" Northstar said and closed the door behind him. "Why does everyone think that?!"

"Yer really askin'? We haven't see you in 10 fuckin' months, ya didn't come over for Thanksgivin', Christmas _and _New Year Eve 'n every time I called ya were bein' fuckin' weird on the phone. Not t'mention that my son was suspiciously _never_ home when I called! Not t'forget the one time that I came by t'visit 'n also _not _t'forget the ver fact how fuckin' weird ya have been on that day!" Logan complained and cocked an eyebrow at him, scrutinizing both of them. One sniff was enough and he knew that both of them were nervous, even if his son kept a straight face. The fact that he was allowing Jean-Paul to hold his hand said everything. "'kay…. Why are ya nervous 'n what the hell happened?! 'n who is that kid?" he demanded to know and gave them a sign to sit down on the couch, looking at the baby. While they sat down on one side of the table, Jean and he sat down on the other. He figured something bad must have happened… "So?"

Jean-Paul heaved a deep breath and exchanged a look with Daken, who gave him a sign to go on, since he began to feel annoyed. "Well… Remember how everyone teases you about me being your son-in-law?"

"Yeah, so?" Logan asked, crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow, his eyes darting to the baby once more. A shock of black hair and definitely Asian eyes. He frowned and met Jean-Paul's eyes. He didn't like how fast the speedster's heart was beating at all… "Don't tell me ya actually told anyone up there about it?!" he added and looked to and fro between them, his eyes narrowed. "I've got a rep up there!"

"No, we didn't tell anyone. Don't get your panties in a bunch," Daken grunted and rolled his eyes. "Jesus, just tell him already!"

"Tell me what?!" Logan asked impatiently and scrutinized them once more. "Did ya kill someone 'n now the Canadian police is lookin' for ya 'n I have t'make some phone calls?!"

"What?! No!" Northstar said and huffed. "Crissé, why is everyone saying such things?!"

"Again… Yer really askin'?" Logan grunted. "What does yer nervousness 'n fear have t'do with the others teasin' me about it?!" he demanded to know and, after looking aside to see if his wife was as confused as him, cocked an eyebrow at Jean, who stared at the two man completely shocked and seemed to have figured it out already. "What….?!"

"It's not….a tease…anymore…actually…," Jean-Paul continued and didn't dare to look up at the feral.

"Eh?!" Logan made, completely confused and couldn't stop himself from looking back at Jean, who had now leant back in the sofa and was still staring at the two men opposite of them in shock and astonishment. "What do ya mean it ain't a tease anymore?!" he asked Northstar and furrowed his brows as far as it was possible.

"What I said…," the speedster replied, his voice not as confident anymore as it usually was. He knew the man would either explode or….explode. And the fact that it was only one part of the news, didn't make it better. "That it's not a tease anymore that…I'm your son-in-law…actually," he tried again, his voice becoming weaker the further he spoke and swallowed when Logan tilted his head a bit and cocked an eyebrow.

"Eh?!"

"Bakayaro…," Daken said with a roll of his eyes and shook his head. "He's my husband. Do you at least understand that?!" he asked in complete annoyance and gave Northstar, who was suddenly very pale, a look. "What? With your stuttering he wouldn't have gotten it until Christmas in 50 years… How long will you take to tell him the rest?!"

"Do you have to be that straight forward?!" the speedster hissed, but his anger immediately vanished as he caught Logan's look. It was indefinable. "Shit…," he muttered and lowered his gaze quickly.

"Husband?!" he heard the feral asking and swallowed hard, his heart in his mouth and nodded slowly. "What do ya mean…husband?!"

Daken groaned and buried his face in his hands, shaking it once more. "Did someone remove your brain while we were gone?!" he asked after lowering his hands again and pointed at the ring on his left hand.

"Ya mean yer married?!" his father asked shocked and his son actually felt like applauding him. Exchanging a look with Jean, he heaved a deep breath and got up to head for the balcony.

"Shit…," Jean-Paul cursed and gave the feral next to him an angry look. "I told you to let me talk. He'll never accept it now!"

"With your explanations we would still sit here in ten years and he wouldn't have understood it," Daken snapped back.

"Yes, but telling him that straight forward won't get us the reaction we actually want to have, right? How do you think will he react to the rest now?!" the speedster mocked and sank back into the couch with a heavy sigh. "Great…"

"Well if you're so embarrassed about it…"

"I'm not embarrassed about it! He's my friend and I want him to accept it, but not by hitting him on the head with the news like you just did…"

"Too late for that!" Daken shrugged and Northstar huffed.

"Yeah, great…."

Jean, who had remained silent, looked behind her and watched how Logan supported himself on the banister on the outside. His thoughts were a mess. "Who came up with the idea?" was all she could say and turned back around to have a look at the two men.

"No one…"

"Well, someone must have come up with it, Jean-Paul…"

"It…just happened," he told her and now it was she who cocked an eyebrow at him. He figured that it was obviously true that couples tended to share mimics after a while. He just hoped it wouldn't be the case for him…

"We're you drunk?" Jean asked and he broke eye contact.

"Maybe a bit on that evening…"

She groaned. "I thought you were an adult…"

"He wasn't drunk on _that_ day," Daken grunted and crossed his arms. He tried to read her face but she blocked him out with her powers.

"I'd be happy for you, if it happened out of love…," she said and now it was for her again to receive odd looks.

"I'm not with him because I need a green card!" the feral mocked and looked up when his father came back in. He, too, had to admit that the look the man wore was rather intimidating.

When Logan slumped back down on the sofa next to his wife, he scrutinized them for a good while. "So yer proud of this shit?"

"Shit?!" his son asked and narrowed his eyes.

"Well what else do ya call a marriage that's based on some drinkin' games?"

"We weren't drunk on that day!" Northstar insisted. "And it wasn't based on drinkin' games, but on something else..."

"Right…," Logan nodded sarcastically and crossed his arms again. "So yer tellin' me ya asked Akihiro 'n he said yes?" he mocked.

"No, _I_ asked him and _he_ said yes," Daken growled. "_Father_," he added in annoyance.

"Sure…" Logan nodded and shook his head. "Unbelievable…"

"You said you'd accept him and no other guy!" his son snapped and both ferals began to stare each other down.

"Yeah, but I never mentioned marryin' him, did I?"

"Oh, so this is the problem now? Just because you are feeling ashamed and embarrassed…"  
"Who said anythin' about that?!" Logan snapped back.

"Guys, stop!" Jean said and held both of them back with her powers. "The children are sleeping already. How about we calm down and then try to talk?" When both ferals huffed she groaned. "Like father, like son… Equally stubborn…"

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, Logan looked back at the couple opposite of him. "'n this is what ya want?" he demanded to know.

"As I said… I'm not with him because I'm in need for a green card or visa," his son grumbled and looked everywhere but at him.

He heard his father sighing and was about to shoot another glare at him, when Logan spoke up. "I hope the two of ya are aware of the fact that ya made yer situation just more difficult t'handle in public, right? There are enough people out there who won't like it… In case ya haven't seen the news…"

"Like you?" Daken asked and glared at him.

"I never said such a thing!" Logan growled.

"You sure as hell act like it…," his son shrugged and looked away again.

"How would ya react, if yer son told ya straight forward _Oh, by the way, I married my boyfriend_?"

"I'd give him a medal," his son mocked and looked aside when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Calm down, okay?" Jean-Paul asked and received a nod after a moment. "Logan, I'm sorry, but it's not as if we left for Canada and had planned it! It's just….legal there…and he wanted it."

"'n there's the problem!" the feral replied. "Ya didn't plan it 'n I sure as hell bet that ya didn't think about it either!"

"Of course we did," Northstar said and received another cocked eyebrow. "We spent a week talking about and discussing it…"

"A week?!"

"Yeah, a week… And he asked at least five times," Jean-Paul assured him. "Or do you think I'm that crazy and just jump at the idea of marrying someone like him?"

"Thank you very much!" Daken grumbled and glared at him.

"Sorry, babe…"

"'n ya think this is gonna work out for longer than a month or two?" Logan asked them and looked at the couple expectantly. "With all that bitchin' that ya usually do?"

"Well, we're together for what? A year?" his son asked.

"Almost 2…," Jean-Paul mumbled and gave him a look that spoke volumes. "A year and eleven month to be more precise."

Daken waved off. "More than two months that is!"

"Still bein' married is a completely different thing!" Logan insisted.

"Still we are married now and I don't give a damn if you'll accept it or not!" Daken snapped and got up.

Realizing that his son was quiet serious about the whole thing, Logan sighed and shook his head. "Ya could've at least told me…," he grumbled and Akihiro cocked an eyebrow at him.

"And then?"

"Well I think a father would wanna attend his eldest weddin', right?" he said and held the skeptical gaze his son gave him, watching how Daken sat back down. His eyes then switched to Northstar, who still refused to look back at him or Jean. It was still easy for him to pick up on the man's heartbeat and nervousness. "I tell ya what…," Logan said in the end and leant back in the couch, one arm resting on the back, his eyes on the couple. "You'll do it again. Here in the garden."

"WHAT?!" Daken and Jean-Paul asked at the same time, mouths agape and stared at him in shock.

"What what?!" Logan asked, smirking devilishly. "Ya said ya ain't together coz of a green card 'n that yer serious about it. Then prove it!"

"You're kidding now, right?" his son asked him.

"No, I ain't. Ya want my okay, then you'll do it again. Properly!" he insisted and smirked triumphantly. He knew he would have fun.

"Fine," Daken snapped and crossed his arms, ignoring the shocked look Northstar gave him.

"Okay, then," Logan nodded, still smirking. "How about this Sunday? I heard the weather is gonna be very nice…"

Northstar and Daken exchanged a look with each other. The feral rolled his eyes and motioned for him to go on. "Why do I have to do all the talking?!" the speedster hissed and his heart was beating in every fiber of his body. He was sure Jean could hear it too. "Anyway… There's something else…"

Logan narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Promise that you won't freak out?"

"Why am I _not _likin' this already?" Logan grunted and exchanged a look with Jean, figuring that she already knew what came next from the way she was staring at the couple and at him. "Will I snap?" he asked her, but she only stared at him with wide eyes and a shocked expression. He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Okay… Shoot…"

"Well, there has been a reason why we left so sudden and didn't come over for the holidays…," Jean-Paul began, no trace of his usual confidence in his voice and he swallowed hard. He looked at Logan, who had his head between his hands and his eyes closed, obviously bracing himself, for a brief moment. "Did Scott tell you about that mission concerning Strange?"

"He means the one last year while you were in Paris," Daken added and examined his manicured nails. Logan nodded. "Everything about it? Or just the nice parts?"

Logan raised his head slowly and cocked an eyebrow. "He said ya went in, talked and headed back."

"Did he also tell you what Strange did and what happened on the next day?" his son demanded to now, looking smug. "He didn't, did he?"

"Well, after the fuss you made I am sure he didn't…," Jean-Paul muttered and received a glare. "What? You kept on saying you don't want Logan to know!"

"Know what?!" the older feral growled.

Northstar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He then began to tell him everything and stopped at the day Logan and Jean were supposed to return from Paris. "Hiro was so embarrassed that he practically panicked and we quickly packed up and headed to Canada," he finished and, if the situation hadn't been so serious, he would have laughed at the look on Logan's face. The feral was dumbstruck.

"He turned ya into a girl?!" he asked and his son nodded. "Ya could have told me! There was no need t'run away, kid."

"I didn't want to remind you of _her_…," his son muttered after a while and without looking at him, because it was true. He had been the spitting image of his mother. Looking into the mirror and seeing the face had been painful enough for him. Seeing his father's face would have been unbearable. "And it was embarrassing and degrading to be stick in such a body…"

"But why didn't ya come back after two months?" Logan demanded to know and could clearly hear how both of their hearts skipped a beat at the same time as their scents switched to nervous again. "If yer hearts beat any faster I'll have Jean take ya t'the ICU!"

Northstar heaved a deep breath and felt how Daken took his hand, he gave him a thankful smile. "You see Strange said Hiro was a full-functioning woman."

"So?" Logan shrugged.

"He also said that if he didn't turn back after exactly 2 months past midnight… Well that there might be a…situation…" Daken frowned at him because of his choice of wording. "Or…condition…"

"So?" Logan shrugged once more.

"Well,…he didn't change back after two months. Also not after three. So we went to see Strange," Northstar went on and kept his eyes fixed on the table, not wanting to see the fury that could lie in Logan's eyes. "He said that there was…a condition…that prevented him from changing…"

"Which was?" the older feral asked after looking at Jean, who was still staring at the two men with wide eyes.

"Imighthaveknockedhimupafterwehaddrunksex," Jean-Paul spluttered and closed his eyes, bracing for Logan's wrath, but the feral didn't say a word.

"Could ya speak any faster?! I didn't get one word," Logan grunted and Daken sighed. He watched how his son reached for the car seat and put it on the table, so that the baby was facing him. "Ya still didn't say who that kid is by the way."

"I actually just did…," Northstar muttered and sighed. "It's our baby, Logan…"

"Ya adopted?"

"No?"

Logan frowned and his eyes fell on Daken. "Don't tell me ya cheated on him!"

Daken rolled his eyes in return. "Let me translate what he just told you, okay? Sit back and _listen_!" he told Logan, who growled and crossed his arms. "It's _our _baby, as in _his _and _mine_."

Logan, who was still frowning at them, turned to Jean for help. "Yes, they mean exactly what you are thinking," she said and his jaw dropped. "This is unbelievable…"

"Ya knocked my son up?!"

"Well, he wasn't _biologically _your _son_ at that time…," Northstar mumbled and shifted closer to Daken as he dared to look at Logan for a brief moment.

"Yer gay!"

"Yes…"

"Then how…? Why…? How?!"

Daken groaned. "I don't have to explain the _how _to you, do I? Let's say we were both so pissed off at this fucking Avenger that we had a tad too much to drink and maybe I used my pheromones additionally on him too…"

Northstar stared at him in shock. "You said you didn't manipulate me into sleeping with you!" he snapped and pulled his hand away.

"Technically I didn't. You were quite willing while being drunk…," Daken shrugged and received a glare. "And I can't control them when I'm drunk…"

"This is unbelievable…," Jean shook her head and ran a hand over her face. "What were you thinking?!"

"I know it was a mistake, but…," Northstar sighed in frustration and the whole stress of the past months poured out of him. "Trust me we were _that _close to splitting up because of that whole mess," he assured her. "Hiro didn't want the baby, I did, we fought, we fought even more, he didn't want it anyway, I told him that we were over if he killed our kid, he wanted to do it anyway and left for the appointment, I was just finished with packing his bags as he stood in front of the door, crying. He couldn't do it because he could feel the baby due to his heightened senses, so we both decided to keep it. He came four weeks early though…and then the painkillers didn't work and everything was one big, painful mess, And trust me in one thing, be glad Hiro's a guy. He's a terrible over-emotional woman…"

"How about next time you run around with a fucking watermelon in front of you?!" Daken snapped.

"I'm not only talking about that, but mostly about your ridiculous mood swings and cravings!" Jean-Paul snapped back.

"Go fuck yourself!"

"I can't wait for your hormones to be normal again…" The speedster rubbed his eyes, while Daken huffed and looked away.

"Anyway, the baby was the reason we got married, or as Hiro kept on saying that he wanted it the traditional way because he kept on nagging about Logan not accepting it otherwise." He looked at his son, who was peacefully sleeping and smiled warmly. "So meet your grandson, Shinji Kaiden. We couldn't agree on a name, so it's Shinji and Shin or Kade in short. And _he_," he pointed at Daken, "demanded a traditional Japanese name, so I'm not to blame."

"No, you wanted _Kaiden_…," Daken snarled.

"_I _wanted Noah."

Daken snickered. "Yeah, and I still picture you gathering animals and building an ark…"

"Would you shut up?"

"No!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Logan suddenly growled and both were silent in an instant. His eyes darted back and forth between them. "This is a joke, right?"

"I'm afraid not…," Jean sighed and rubbed her temples.

"No?" the couple on the opposite side of the table said in unison.

"So yer tellin' me that my _son_ gave birth t'that kid here?" Logan asked. "After bein' knocked up by his boyfried?"

"Uhm, no," Daken shook his head and crossed his arms and legs. "We are telling you that your son, who got turned into a woman by this fucking mage, who I still plan to kill for this, got knocked up by his boyfriend after we were pretty much wasted."

"Which is the only reason this had happened anyway, since I wouldn't sleep with a girl if my life depended on it!" Jean-Paul added quickly.

Logan buried his head in his hands and shook his head. "What did I do t'deserve this….?" He asked himself and Daken shrugged.

"Better ask me what I did to deserve this because you don't want to know how painful it is to squeeze…"

"NO!" Logan quickly said and raised a hand. "I don't wanna know 'n I certainly don't wanna hear any details!"

Daken shrugged. "Fine. I just want to add the fact that painkillers didn't work!"

"I think they got that the first time," Northstar sighed. "Logan, I'm sorry for not telling you, but I had to respect his wishes… He didn't want you to know. And it wasn't easy on us either. It was one big, ugly mess."

"What do you intend to tell the public?" Jean suddenly asked and his eyes fell on her.

"I don't know. I think we'll keep it a secret until they find out. They are still dying to know who I'm actually dating right now." He rolled his eyes at the thought of those damn paparazzi that were constantly bugging him and following him around. His eyes fell on Logan again, who gave both of them an indefinable look. "Could you just start yelling at us already?!" he asked, wanting to get it over with.

Logan shook his head. "No…"

"No?" Daken asked, equally surprised.

"No," his father repeated once more. "I think it's enough t'know that I'm hugely disappointed in both of ya! Ya kept somethin' this big a secret! Ya obviously don't trust us at all, ya could have come t'us for help. 'n I'm certain yer marriage won't last long. Feel free t'prove me wrong!"

"Wow,…," Daken mocked. "Way to boost the morality…"

"Ya don't deserve better at the moment," Logan snapped before he noticed that his grandson was awake and looking around. "Ya got a lot of work t'do t'gain our trust again. So ya better start with tellin' the whole team about this mess. 'n don't expect me t'help! Ya were irresponsible, so ya will deal with the consequences. Got it?" he asked and both men didn't look at him. "'n now let me have a look at our grandson."

**Hope you liked it. Leave a review please and let me know what you think. Wishes for the upcoming chapters are welcome. Just keep the motivation on writing up by leaving a review. See ya!**


	32. Epilogue 8

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 8**

Jean sighed and lowered her head as she heard the shouting once more. It couldn't be real anymore that two people could fight and yell at each other that much. It was Friday, two days until the planned wedding in the garden, the preparations were in full swing and the two grooms had nothing better to do than bite each other's head off. She was sick of it.

"Mommy? Why's aniki so mad?" Jake asked and had stopped drawing a picture, his huge amber eyes looking at her.

She tried to smile. "I think he's just nervous because of the wedding, sweety. Don't you worry." She ran a hand through his thick black hair and her eyes drifted to Jamie and Tommy, who were both playing on the carpet with their toys.

"But he's mad so often lately…," the boy sulked and went on drawing again.

"I know, baby…," she muttered and handed him the red pen that he was trying to reach. It amazed her that he had no psychic powers and no claws either. She wondered what kind of powers he might have in store, if any at all. In the end, it was not uncommon that two mutants had a human child, if the grandparents weren't homo superior. Whatever her son was she wouldn't care. It was already a gift to her that he was sitting here, alive and well. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and she looked up.

"Hey," Rogue smiled.

"Please tell me they are done…"

She sucked in her breath. "I'm afraid no. I actually came because you have a visitor."

Jean frowned. "A visitor?" she asked and got up.

"Yes. He's right here." Rogue stepped aside and Jean thought her heart would break in her chest. Shocked she swallowed a cry and covered her mouth with a hand. "Charles found him and set his mind straight. He knows, Jean." The younger woman smiled once more and left, leaving Jean to stare at the man in front of her with tears in her eyes.

"Jean…," he croaked and bit his lip, pulling her into his arms as she bridged the gap and began to sob into his chest.

"I missed you so much…," she croaked and buried her face in his shirt, pulling him closer.

Jake, who had watched the whole scene, began to pull a face. "No crying, mommy!"

"No crying!" Jamie agreed and shook his head.

She let out a strangled sob and laugh at the same time, wiping her tears away. "I'm okay. I'm just happy to see your grandfather again, that's all." Letting go off him, she ran a hand over her face. "See? Mommy is not crying anymore." She noticed how the boys looked at her father and she figured that Jamie couldn't remember him. "Come here," she told both of them and waited for Jake and Jamie to come closer. "Say hi to your grandfather."

"You have grown so much, kiddo!" John Grey said after kneeling down and smiling at Jamie. His playfully poked Jamie into his belly and mad him giggle, before his eyes fell on Jake. He looked up at his daughter questioningly.

"That's Jake," she informed him and watched him interacting with the shy boy for a while, then sat down with her father on the couch while the children went on playing. "I'm so glad you're here…" She took his hand and smiled back at him.

"Your professor told me what happened. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this, Jean." He cupped her cheek gently. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. The amount of power I have just scares me sometimes," she admitted and looked at her hands. "I mean I transferred dozen minds into an alternative timeline… It scares me."

"But you're fine?" he asked, sounding concerned and received a nod. "Good. Where's Logan?" he asked as said mutant came barging in.

"I swear, darlin', if ya don't send both of them t'the moon, I'm gonna go on a killin' rampage!" the feral growled and froze as he noticed who was sitting next to Jean. "How…?"

"Charles found him and set his mind straight. He remembers everything," the redhead said and Logan shook his father-in-law's hand.

"Good t'see ya, John."

"You too, Logan," the man smiled.

"Are they still fighting?" Jean asked and the look Logan gave her spoke volumes. "What's their problem?!"

"Problem? Make it plural!" Logan huffed and slumped down next to her.

John Grey, who had been listening, was looking to and fro between them. "Something wrong?"

Jean sighed and waved off. "You met Akihiro and Jean-Paul?"

Her father nodded. "But I didn't interact with them that much actually."

"Well, their wedding is this Sunday and…"

"…up t'now they do a bang up job in bitin' each other's heads off," Logan finished her sentence and sighed. "I told ya this wouldn't last!"

"They simply lack communication and are equally stubborn," Jean replied and took his hand.

"Daddy?" Jake asked and Logan looked at his son. "Why's aniki so mad?"

"I dunno, kiddo. I don't think yer brother even knows why he's mad…," he said and cringed as he heard something shattering downstairs.

* * *

"Are you fucking mad?!" Jean-Paul shouted after the cup had been thrown against the wall only inches from his head. He glared at Daken, who was clearly seizing him up for a coffin and fuming, before he went on talking on the phone. He apologized for the interruption and listened to what his twin sister was telling him. "I can't do that, Jeanne-Marie! No. NO! Not this weekend!" he told her in his native tongue and leant back against the counter to run a hand through his hair. "How much money? Fuck… Why can't you go? Yeah, I know that I'm the boss, but why the hell do you think I made you senior?! No, I can't go this weekend. There's no way I…" He closed his eyes and heaved a deep breath. "Fine. Yes, I talk to him and I can already tell you that he won't like it. Bye." He snapped the phone shut with a curse and bit his lip hard. He would kill him… "We've got a problem…," he began and Daken huffed.

"No, _we_ don't have a problem!" the feral said through clenched teeth and Jean-Paul looked up to see how tensed Daken's body was. The fists were clenched and his muscles bulging in anger. "You want to go? Go. Piss off and don't come back!" he suddenly shouted and pushed him out of his way before he stomped down the corridor. He knew the speedster would be following him and this angered him even the more.

"I don't tell you to cancel the wedding! If you don't want me to go, I won't. I already told you yesterday to postpone! The whole wedding is rushed, we are already stressed out because we have to organize too much in such a short time," Jean-Paul tried to reason with him, but Daken would have none of it. He turned suddenly, in front of the TV-room where all heads had already turned into their direction.

"You want to postpone?" he asked, seething.

Jean-Paul nodded and took his hand, trying to stay as calm as he could in order to reason with the angry feral. "Yes. We are both stressed out. All we do is fighting lately. We are already married, so why doing a rushed ceremony instead of a nicely planned one?" he asked and looked at him pleadingly. "Let's postpone for a few weeks. I'll do the negotiations for the European branch as fast as I can, then we sit down and plan this properly. The way we want to and not the way others make it." He held Daken's unreadable gaze for a while and waited for his reply, the tension between them very much noticeable. What he didn't reckon with was to be pushed back against the wall behind him. "Are you out of your mind?" he snapped and pushed the feral back, which earned him a snarl.

"Would both of you finally calm down?!" Scott asked and came over with Hank to keep the two men separated.

"Stay out of this!" both snapped at him in unison and went back to glaring at each other.

"You want to go, then go. I won't stop you!" Daken hissed and shouldered Northstar out of his way, who would have none of it and went after him.

Upstairs Logan groaned. "They are at it again… Unbelievable…"

"So they think it's a good idea to marry each other when they are constantly fighting?" John Grey asked while watching Jake drawing.

"Well, they are actually already married. They did it secretly," Jean told him and he nodded. "Their problem is their utter lack of communication…"

"Which we thankfully don't have," Logan replied and put the next Lego brick on Jamie's yellow one. "Kiddo, what are we actually buildin' here?"

"Mommy!" Jamie said and received a cocked eyebrow while he summoned another brick towards him with his teke.

"O…kay. Never knew I married Picasso…," Logen muttered and looked up when someone quickly ascended the stairs to his apartment. There was a brief knock before the door was opened and Jean-Paul appeared with Kazuki and Shinji on his arm.

"I leave them with you," he announced and was about to turn as Logan spoke up.

"Don't tell me my son hit ya!" he said and got up to walk over to where the speedster was standing.

"No, I ran into our bedroom door."

"You can tell us!" Jean said and joined Logan. She reached out to touch the bruise on the man's cheek.

"I really ran into the door because he decided to slam it into my face!" Jean-Paul insisted before he looked at Logan. "You should know me better than that. If he had hit me, he'd been flying out of the window!"

"What are you actually fighting about?" the redhead asked, but he waved off and headed for the door.

"You think we've been fighting before? Shit will go down _now_! He's being ridiculous," he said and left again.

Logan stared at the door for a while longer before he met Jean's gaze. "Think I should already go 'n collect the money? I mean I've won the bet."

"You don't know that, Logan," Jean replied and picked Shinji up. "Go and play a bit, Kaz."

He watched his grandson heading over to Jamie and Tommy. "Well, I did win for sure. No way they are gonna get married!"

"As I said… You don't know yet!"

He turned his head a bit as he picked up on noises from downstairs. "He didn't even exaggerate with _shit's goin' down_…"

* * *

"You're being ridiculous!" Jean-Paul shouted back and watched Daken giving the chair in front of him a good kick. "Would you stop it already?!"

"Why don't you just pack up and piss off. You're dying to leave anyway, so just fucking admit it!" the feral barked back and made the speedster groan in utter frustration.

"Why do you think that? I told you if you don't want me to go…"

"I want you to go, so do me the favor and piss off already! And you don't need to come back either!" Daken shouted and his chest was heaving in anger. He glared at the speedster that gave him a shocked look.

"You don't mean that…," the man whispered and thought his heart would burst through his chest.

"You don't care about us, your priority is your work, so yes, I fucking mean it and I want you gone! Piss off, go to Europe and while you're already at it STAY THERE!" Daken snapped and took off his ring to throw it at the speedster. "I don't care about you anyway, I only stayed with you because you're a good lay. So what makes you think I'd actually miss you or care about your whereabouts?" he added hatefully and walked past the speedster towards the door. He pressed down the handle.

"I don't care about us?" he heard Jean-Paul asking in barely more than a whisper and the way the man was talking and standing in the middle of the room told him how deeply he was hurt by what's been said. "It was you who never told me what he actually feels for me." In less than a blink of an eye he had his luggage packed and aimed for the door. "But thanks for letting me know," he said and looked Daken straight in the eyes. "Maybe a break is really what we need. The children are with your father by the way. I noted down the flight on that note over there." He nodded at the bedside table. "Au revoir!"

Daken remained on the spot, listening to the disappearing footsteps. As he heard how the front door fell shut and a car drove away soon afterwards, he slammed his fist against the door with a curse. His eyes fell on the note and he walked over to take a look at it. Depressed, he let himself fall on the bed and curled up, staring at the now empty side next to him and feeling the same loneliness within.

* * *

"So do you plan on staying?" Jean asked and turned her eyes away from Logan, who was feeding his grandson with a content smile. Even though Jamie was only 3, almost 4 years old it felt like ages since she had watched him feeding an infant.

"The Professor asked me if I was interested in a teaching position. So in case you want me to stay, I'd gladly accept," her father said and return the bright smile he was given.

"We don't mind," Logan grunted and put the empty bottle away, before he patted Shinji's back gently. "The kids missed ya."

"Where are they anyway?" John asked since he hadn't seen his other grandchildren at all.

"On a school trip to Washington. They'll be back tomorrow," the redhead informed him and took Logan's phone as it beeped. "This might be Lily or Ray. Jack's too busy texting Isa most of the day."

"Ya mean in class…," Logan grunted and switched on the TV for the news.

"Puberty, Logan. Live with it."

"I hate puberty."

Jean smiled and read the text that Logan had gotten. "Oh, it's Jean-Paul. He says he's leaving for Europe and will be back in a couple of weeks. He wants us to make sure that the kids are being taken care of. Can he fly that long while carrying luggage?" she wondered.

Logan cocked an eyebrow at her. "Am I supposed t'be surprised?" he asked and cradled Shinji in his arm.

"Who is this fella?" John Grey nodded at the baby. "He looks Asian, so he can't be yours."

"He's our grandchild. Or better said my step-grandchild. Sjinji is JeanPaul's and Daken's son. Kazuki over there," Jean pointed at the boy that was playing catch with Tommy, Jake and Jamie, "is Daken's son and Jean-Paul's adoptive son."

"However," Logan added, "ya don't wanna know how Shin came t'existence!"

* * *

At the airport Jean-Paul had just hit the Sent-button and was still waiting in line in order to check-in. His feelings and emotions were still a mess, the hateful words still echoing in his ears. If he was honest to himself, he had seen it coming. The gap between them had become bigger and bigger in the past week and it had only been a matter of time before one of them would snap. Still, he felt bad about leaving. He wanted to stay with his family and not deal with business somewhere in Paris. He looked around and groaned inwardly as someone recognized him and asked for an autograph.

"Thank you!" the woman smiled happily and he plastered a fake-smile to his face.

"You're welcome," he replied and waited for her to be gone before he checked his phone again. Logan had written back, telling him that they'd care for the kids and that Daken and he seriously needed to sit down and talk. He sighed. No shit, Sherlock. He pressed a key and the text screen disappeared, his phone switching back to the main screen where two bright and happy smiles were greeting him. His heart clenched painfully. Daken had used his phone to snap the picture one morning as they had been lying in bed. Their hair was tousled and Shinji had been sleeping in the middle of them after having a fussy night. Kazuki had been up early and climbed into bed with them, leaning against Daken's chest, while the feral had rested his head on Northstar's stomach. All of them were smiling up in to the camera and he could easily tell that it's been one of the feral's rare, real smiles.

"That's a really nice family you have there, young man," an elderly woman suddenly said next to him and he put his phone away, wondering if she thought that the other adult in that picture was a woman.

"Thank you," he said and pulled his passport out of his pocket.

"Make sure not to lose happiness like this. If you find your true love you need to hold on to it. My Richard always used to say…"

But he drowned her out and handed the passport to the guy behind the counter, who, of course recognized him too, and started chatting away while checking his passport. The words of the woman replayed in his head. He had found love, but what could love do for you if it was full of problems? While the guy behind the counter was still chatting away, Jean-Paul checked his phone once more and looked at the picture thoughtfully. "What the hell am I doing here…?" he muttered to himself.

* * *

"Laura, Lily and Ray say _hi_," Jean told him and sat down on the couch, snuggling up to Logan. "Washington is great and they visited the Capitol today."

"Nice," Logan smirked and pulled her closer, stroking Miloh's head with the other hand. "Can't wait till they're back. It's too calm without'em…"

"Indeed… I might have to go to Washington too for a couple of days."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why's that?"

Jean entwined their hands and leant her head against his chest. "Hank and I got invited by the head of Mutant Affairs and wants us to take part in some get together. I'm not so keen about it, but Charles thinks it will show that not all mutants are bad," she told him and sighed. "Let's just hope no one saw the videos of Alcatraz… If that even happened here…"

"You'll be fine," he assured her and kissed the side of her head.

"I just don't like being away from home… The real world scares me," she admitted and closed her eyes for a moment as he pulled her closer. Both startled as the door suddenly burst open and Rogue appeared.

"Switch on the news! Now!"

* * *

Narya was staring at the screen with wide eyes, frozen and utterly shocked. Next to her sat John, who gave her a concerned look from aside. Her pregnancy had been a difficult one up to now and she was not to get agitated too much. He exchanged a quick look with Moira and Hank, who, too, were watching the woman. "Baby… Try to stay calm. Think about the baby!" he said as calm as possible, but she didn't hear him. Her eyes were glued to the screen were a male reporter was standing in front of a screen that showed a completely shattered plane, which remnants were scattered all over the runway. All she could hear was _no survivors_ and the flight number. "This must be a mistake…," she muttered and stared at John with wide eyes. "Right? They got the wrong number… Right?"

"Narya…," he muttered and pulled her close as she began to cry and sob aloud. "Please, baby, calm down!" He watched how Hank jumped out of his stool and headed for the infirmary to get, as he guessed, something that would calm her down. "Narya, please…"

Kitty shook her head. "This can't be true…"

"I'm afraid it is…," Piotr said and turned his head as he heard someone coming slowly closer. He looked into chocolate brown eyes that were staring at the screen completely horrified. Before he could address the man, he had already turned and run out of the room.

Upstairs Jean was frowning at the screen and looked at Rogue. "Why are you so shocked?"

The woman gave her an incredulous look. "Why?! That was Jean-Paul's flight!" she said and

Jean's face paled as realization hit her.

"No…"

"Did Akihiro already see this?!" Logan asked and got up, ready to head for his son as Bobby came running up the stairs.

"Daken just took Scott's sports car! He saw it!"

"Fuck!" the feral cursed and was about to go after him as Jean spoke up.

"There's something you need to know…," she said and he cocked an eyebrow at her due to the strange undertone in her voice.

"What?" he asked as he noticed the tears in her eyes. She looked scared.

"I meant to tell you after our Paris trip… Then so many things happened that I totally forgot to tell you," she admitted in barely more than a whisper. "I'm so sorry…"

"Forgot t'tell me what, Jean?" he asked, frowning.

"Before we headed to Paris… The exchange Jamie did? Your older version said that something would happen to Jean-Paul, but he didn't say what exactly. What he did say, however, was that Akihiro completely snapped. He will do horrible things, Logan…," she told him and he made a step back. "We need to find him or you will have to put him down in the end!"

**That's chapter 8. Since it's lacking reviews again and I'm busy with work and exams, I won't update any time soon. So leave a review and keep my motivation on writing this up!**


	33. As requested: Children's age

**The children's ages**

Jack and Lily - 12

Rachel - 10

Laura – unknown age, supposedly around 9

Jamie – 4, going to be 5 soon

Jake - 6

Kazuki - 5

Shinji – 1 months old

Lin – 1 year, 2 months old

Tommy - 5

TJ - 10

Isabella – 11, going to be 12 soon

Anna - 11

Alex – 5

Jean-Luc – 4


	34. Epilogue 9

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 9**

As a child, after another beating, torture session or he had finally been left alone to wallow in the pain and wounds that had been inflicted on his nether parts, he had always wondered what it would feel like to have a friend that could actually _love _him, that would not see him as a broken thing that couldn't be repaired or remotely loved. A friend that would stay with him, always, that would love him, care about him and not use or abuse him just to throw him aside so that he wouldn't get attached or learn how to actually _feel_. _Feel_… Not being able to feel had been easier, had made him able to not care for people, to not care when they left or hurt him or he killed them. It had been so much easier to not feel. Why did he have to feel _this _all of a sudden? This thing that was tearing him open and gnawing on his inside, that was rushing over him like a wave that he couldn't stop, that was worse than being burned alive, worse than being suffocated or doused by acid or whipped with spikes, it was even worse than having _him_ enter him unprepared and with as much force as that animal could come up with. This thing was tearing at whatever was currently lodged in his chest and the pain was everywhere, unbearable and destructive. He couldn't breathe, breathing hurt, he couldn't think or see or hear. All he could do was to stare blankly ahead and feel pain strong enough that it put even fire or acid to shame.

He stumbled as he bumped into something or someone. He didn't care what or who it was, he lashed out blindly, didn't feel how warm, red liquid ran down his hand and arm, didn't hear or see how angry shouts and commands echoed through the night, demanding of him to freeze. Dazed, he looked around without seeing anything for real. He couldn't see through this veil in front of his eyes and wanted to rub at his eyes angrily, as he noticed that his claws were out and his hands smeared with something sticky. He stared at them, trying to figure out through the fog that refused to be lifted from his brain what it was and how it had gotten there. Whatever it was, it was red, but all he could see was blue, baby-blue like the sky on a very sunny day, pretty and beautiful to look at, something that made him feel happy and content and wanted, that made him feel warm, cherished and loved. He could stare at this blue for hours on end, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the color right for the first time. Now the baby-blue had turned into a black abyss with lots of red in it. There was no pretty sky or warm sun, there was only darkness and coldness and this terrible loneliness that he had endured for decades on end, because no one could love him, no one wanted him or cared for him or even bothered to fake being nice to him. He was a mongrel, a biracial child without a home, the child of a soldier and a whore, a soldier and a rape-victim, the child of a father who couldn't protect his mother and never wanted him anyway, the child of a mother who had probably been too helpless to get rid of him in the first place. The story varied depending on who told it. Why had they bothered creating him in the first place? So that the world could mock him and everything that he wanted wouldn't come true anyway, and if it did, it would be taken from him?

He hardly moved as something sharp hit his shoulder and didn't feel the pain that began to spread immediately. His eyes darted to the spot, barely took notice of the dark-red liquid that began to spread around the whole in his white shirt. He reached up and touched the liquid, eyeing it with empty eyes while more angry words were being shouted at him. Curiously, he watched how a drop of blood fell to the ground and left a spot on it. Had this happened to _him_, he wondered and pictured _him _falling from the sky and shattering on the ground, the beautiful blue being crushed and replaced by empty blackness, _his _whole, beautiful body and face crushed, shattered and reduced to a pile of unrecognizable, angry redness. Had _he _felt pain? Maybe survived and been burned alive? Survived and suffocated on _his _own blood? Survived and hoped that he would come and rescue him? He closed his eyes and buried his hands in his hair while gritting his teeth as all of a sudden his mind came up with the most gruesome scenarios possible, as screams for help and angry accusations filled his head and made him suck in sharp breaths. Who was he kidding? He was what he had been told from early childhood on: a monster that was not worth being loved and cared for, a thing that could only destroy, that was selfish and self-centered and incapable of anything remotely normal. He was not normal and would never be. He was a thing that couldn't die and all he wanted right now was to die so that the pain would stop. He wanted it to stop…

He looked up as an explosion shook the ground and watched how debris and parts of that tower came crushing down. Maybe he was lucky enough and it would crush him? No one would miss him anyway. Who would miss an emotionless, ugly thing like him that could only destroy? And most importantly: dying would mean that thing would finally stop tearing him apart from within.

* * *

Logan kept his eyes on the streets as he navigated his bike past the cars at insane speed. Behind him, Jean held on to his waist for dear life, the machine underneath her vibrating angrily. She had no idea where he was going, was sure he didn't know either and was just hoping to see his son by accident somewhere on the streets. God, she hoped Daken wasn't doing anything completely stupid now. Charles had told her that with his dangerous mix of disorders he was completely unpredictable. And now Daken had every reason to be exactly that. A shocked scream escaped her as an explosion ripped through the streets and Logan hit the break hard. She searched the sky for any sign, seeing smoke rising into the air on her far right.

"That's Stark Tower," Logan said and her heart skipped a beat.

"You told us that he placed a bomb there and at the Fantastic Four's HQ." She exchanged a look with her and beckoned for her to hold on to him again as he headed into the direction of Star Tower. Due to the explosion the traffic was way heavier than before. People had left their cars or building and were standing around, looking at the smoke and pointing at random things around them. After trying to get past them on the street, Logan gave up and parked the bike. As he began to jog up the street, Jean followed him, but they soon had to realize that there were too many people gathering in order to find out what had happened. They had to find another way to get through the tower and Jean cursed it. Finding another way would mean they would lose precious time. And time was a luxury they didn't have right now…

Back at the mansion, John was holding Narya's hand as the now sedated woman was staring blankly ahead, tears still streaming down her face. He reached out to caress her cheek while Moira checked up on their baby and Hank was watching the monitors closely. "How's she holding up?"

"She's getting calmer," Hank told him and looked at Moira, who sighed.

"I don't like how stressed out your baby still is… We can't give her anything else besides mild sedatives," she said and kept a close eye on the baby.

"How bad would it be, if the baby came now?" John asked, still holding on to Narya's hand and trying to keep the panic out of his voice. Her pregnancy had been a very difficult one, beginning from the surprise that he even got her pregnant in the first place even though she was told she couldn't have children. If they lost their baby now… He didn't even want to imagine what this would do to her.

"Considering that she already reached 30 weeks, it's not that bad. The baby has good chances of survival, even better ones if it has your healing factor," Hank told him. "Full term, or at least a couple of more weeks inside the womb is still what I want for it to have. We'll do our best to achieve it."

"I'm still waiting for the tocolytics to work, Hank," Moira said and pointed at the screen to her left. "She still got contractions… How much pain are you in?"

"Much…," Narya sobbed into the pillow and squeezed John's hand.

Hank sighed and grabbed for another syringe. "I'll give her another dose. Let's hope it'll work."

As the woman began to sob louder once more, Moira reached up to cup her cheek. "You'll be fine. I promise! We'll do anything we can to make sure your baby stays inside for a while longer."

"And what if it won't?" the blonde cried into John's neck and squeezed his hand hard as another wave of pain washed over her.

"Logan's and Jean's twins were premature too and they are fine. Your baby will be fine too. I promise!" Moira assured her and was met with a glare.

"Jean-Paul also promised me to call as soon as he would arrive in Paris!" Narya snapped and her eyes widened as she realized what she had said, her eyes immediately filling with tears again. She let out a cry and gritted her teeth in pain as some invisible hand seemed to stab her with a knife into the abdomen. "It hurts so much! Make it stop!" she begged and curled up.

Hank gave Moira a look, but the woman shook her head after another look at the monitor. "We have to get the baby. Now!" she told him and began to make room to work. "John, help Narya up and into a sitting position," she ordered and went over to the basin to wash her hands and get gloves next.

"You'll be alright, baby," he whispered into the blonde's hair and kissed her sweaty temple.

"This is too early," Narya sobbed with closed eyes and when she opened them again he thought a truck would hit him. He had never seen her so desperate, sad and devastated before and seeing the fear she was in made it even harder for him to control his own emotions.

"You'll be fine!" he assured her once more and kissed her. He turned his head and listened in to Hank and Moira whispering to each other. What he heard though didn't calm his nerves at all. If he understood correctly the baby was a breech birth and they were deciding whether or not to do a Cesarean. Hearing it, he wondered when his life had become hell from one second to the next. Trying to keep his face as neutral and calm as possible, he began to caress Narya's cheek and whispered sweet nothings to her. After another two minutes the two doctors obviously had decided to do a Cesarean and Hank disappeared to prepare the adjoining room for surgery. What appeared to be hours on end to John might only have been twenty minutes tops before Hank came back and took Narya with him. Before Moira could follow them John grabbed her arm and met her gaze. "The truth!" he demanded. "What are the chances? For both of them?"

"She'll be fine," she replied and covered his hand with hers. "Of course there are always risks with surgery and we can never tell the outcome for real, but I assure you that we will do anything in our power to make sure that both will make it! It would be easier with Jean here though. She has other means to operate due to her powers, but Hank and I already delivered Jack, Lily and Tommy via Cesareans and we know what we're doing. Whatever else might or might not happen is being our powers, John. Just try to be there for her and please,…do me the favor and don't faint!"

He sighed and nodded before he thought about the last thing she said. "Did Logan faint?"

"Not when the twins were born," she told him and beckoned him to follow him to the prep-room. "You need to change into these scrubs here and wear gloves, this nice head piece and a mask. Wait here. I'll get you as soon as we are ready to begin." She squeezed his hand and tried to give him a reassuring smile, but he could easily tell that the woman was as nervous as he was. And he was sure this wasn't a good sign.

* * *

Kit was staring at the TV blankly, Jubilee next to her, clutching a pillow to her chest and looking as shocked and devastated as she felt. "I… I still can't believe it. He can't be just…dead…," she said and felt a chill running down her spine. "This isn't fair!"

"Who told you life was fair?" Scott asked grimly. "Better hope Logan and Jean will find Daken before he does something really stupid. And we all know he _will _be doing something very stupid…"

Kitty thought about what Logan's future-self had told them. If she remembered correctly he had said that Daken had killed students, X-Men and other super heroes alike. "What if he's here and plotting to kill us?" she muttered and received off looks.

"What makes you think that?" Ororo asked.

"Logan said something about Daken killing students, X-Men, Avengers…," Kitty listed. "So, what if he's already here, planning to kill us?"

"Who is planning to kill us this time?" someone asked from the door and they turned their heads just to gape at the person in shock. This one looked to and fro between them and turned around to check if someone was actually standing behind him. Since that wasn't the case he looked back at them, frowning. "Is my hair looking wrong? Is there something weird in my face?" he asked and checked himself in the mirror to his right, but couldn't see anything wrong with his looks.

"What…," Scott began, but he was at a loss for words. "How…"

"I know, I know! Don't start, okay? Huge drama and everything and I was being stupid and I just know, alright? Putting my company over my relationship was an assholish move and I deserve to be kicked. No need to rub it in my face!"

Kitty exchanged a look with Ororo and Scott. "But you… How can you be here?!" she asked and Jean-Paul crossed his arms, looking like his proud and arrogant self once more.

"Please. Speedster, remember?" he mocked and huffed. His eyes were still taking all of them in and he gave an exasperated sigh, throwing his arms up in the air. "WHAT? Why are you staring at me as if you've seen a ghost?!" he snapped at them in annoyance.

"Because we actually have…," Scott replied and pointed at the TV.

Northstar followed his finger, watched for a moment and shrugged. "So?"

"So?!" Ororo asked.

"I don't get what this has to do with me!"

"Perhaps that _this _is your plane that crashed?! We thought you were dead!" Kitty asked and he frowned at her, then looked at the screen again, then back at them and he chuckled.

"Yeah, right," he nodded and crossed his arms again, his eyes following the news. According to that reporter a plane from New York JFK to Paris CDG had a malfunction during take off and an explosion had brought the plane down, half of it crashing into Thurston Basin, the other parts being scattered around Idlewild Park and Rockaway Boulevard. There were no survivors and additional people had been killed by parts of the plane raining down on the freeway. He stared at the TV in shock, his heart beating wildly in every part of his body. If he hadn't changed his mind in the last second to not head to Paris and instead go back home to make up with the feral and ask if he would accompany him… _Don't board that plane_...he suddenly heard Logan saying in his mind and frowned. "How could Logan have known…?" he muttered, not realizing he had said it aloud before Scott asked him what. "That day in the kitchen. Logan told me to not board that plane. All of you had given me that weird look too. So how could Logan have known, I'd board a plane that would crash?!" he demanded to know.

"It wasn't our Logan. Did no one tell you that Jamie did an exchange to warn us about Apocalypse rising in the future?" Ororo asked and he gave her an incredulous look.

"No," Jean-Paul mocked and looked sour. "You must have forgotten to tell me this _important _fact as much as you must have forgotten to warn me about being supposed to die today!"

"Logan wasn't specific about when or how you'd die…," Scott told him.

"And actually that wasn't all he told us…," Kitty added and one look into her eyes felt like a slap to his face. How could he have _not _thought about it immediately?

He let his arms fall to his sides, a sudden fear gripping him. "Did Hiro see this?" he asked, a chill running over him as he began to shake. "Where is he?!"

"Logan and Jean are trying to find him. He left so fast we weren't able to stop him," Scott said and saw Northstar heading for the door. "You don't know where he is!"

"I think I do," the speedster replied with a nod at the TV that had just announced an attack on Stark Tower.

"Damn it, "Scott cursed. "Suit up and let's…," he began, but Northstar was already gone and flying into the direction of the Avengers HQ.

It only took him a blink of an eye before he was at the location, seeing how Logan and Jean were running through an alley that led them around the chaos on the streets. However, a look ahead made him realize that they wouldn't make it in time. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had surrounded Daken and were pointing their rifles at him, Nick Fury shouting for him to finally give himself up to the authorities or they would shoot. The way the feral was standing appeared odd to him. He looked neither aggressive nor angry or bloodthirsty. It seemed as if he wasn't even really there and realized what was going on. As if he didn't care what would happen to him…

"Get down, NOW!" Fury bellowed and waited, but the feral still didn't move. "Okay, that's it. Shoot!"

Hearing it, Northstar dived past Logan and Jean, who had both shouted for Fury to stop and scooped the feral up into his arms. He felt the bullets fly past him as he ascended again and aimed for a rooftop away from the scene. He let go of Daken and cupped his face, making him look at him. "Are you alright?" Jean-Paul asked, breathlessly. Relief was washing over him as he couldn't see a wound and because of the feral standing in front of him unharmed. "I'm so, so sorry!" he whispered and pulled him into a firm embrace, hiding his face in the crook of the feral's neck. "I'm sorry for being a selfish and ignorant asshole and for hurting you so much. And don't claim I didn't, I know I did because otherwise you wouldn't have lashed out so much and hurt me back. You are far more important than any company could ever be and… God, I was such a selfish idiot," he cried and cupped the feral's face again, noticing the blank stare he was receiving. "What's wrong?"

"You're not real…," Daken muttered emotionlessly and looked at him blankly. "He's dead, so you can't be real."

"I'm real, Hiro. See?" Northstar took his hands and put them against his chest in which his heart was beating wildly. "I didn't board that plane. I was already checking in when it hit me how stupid I was to ever throw away what we have. We aren't perfect, I know that. We fight and struggle and annoy everyone around us on a daily basis, but I don't care! I want us to be together and nothing and no one is more important to me than you. And I'm so, so sorry for making you feel that I didn't care about you or that you weren't important to me," he said and caressed the feral's cheek, not caring that a tear escaped him. The man in front of him had shut down completely, he could tell by just looking at him that he was done and weary. "Say something, Hiro!" he begged and waited for the man to react in the tiniest way, cursing the sky for unleashing a torrent above them all of a sudden. As a hand touched his cheek, he lowered his gaze so that he was looking back at the feral again.

"Are you real?" Daken asked and Northstar nodded, leaning into the touch.

"I'm here, baby. I'm not going anywhere," he promised, still clutching the man's other hand to his chest. Daken was staring at him for a good while, his eyes seeming to search something in his own as he was suddenly pulled forward, crashing into the feral's chest and was caught up in a bear hug. He heard the feral taking in his scent and letting out a deep breath in relief.

"Aishiteru…," Daken muttered and felt the speedster tensing up. A hand was pushing him slowly away a bit and two shocked baby-blue eyes stared at him.

"What did you just say?" Jean-Paul ask, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He had understood it, but he was convinced that he had heard wrong. He had come to terms with the fact that Daken would never say the words to him ever.

"I drove to the airport and tried to call you on your phone, but it went straight to voice mail…," the feral said and reached out to touch the collar of Northstar's leather jacket, his eyes focusing on it before their eyes met again. "I thought please, don't let anything have happened to him, let it be a different plane, let him have board a different plane or missed that goddamn flight…" He heaved a deep breath as he remembered standing close by, staring at the flames and the destruction and the bodies or parts that were scattered all around the place and seeing the plane number with his own to eyes, the goddamn number being nearly the only thing unscathed and laughing right at him. "I was so fucking scared…," he admitted, his voice cracking and Northstar couldn't help, but stare at him speechlessly, his body trembling as much as Daken's. The feral pulled him close again, nuzzling the side of his head, his mouth close to the speedster's ear. "I love you…," he said once more, still barely audible, but Northstar had understood and let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

He looked at Daken with tears of relieve in his eyes and did the only thing he wanted right now and that was kissing him as if there was no tomorrow. The feral kissed him back and held him close, only letting go to fill his lungs with air again. "I love you too," Jean-Paul whispered and smiled happily. "You've no idea how much it means to me to finally hear you saying it…," he admitted and hugged him again.

"How cute…," a voice both of them knew all too well suddenly said to their left and their heads jerked around. There, leaning against the doorframe that marked the entry and exit to the rooftop, all dressed in black leather and with a different, much shorter, but equally wild haircut was standing the nightmare they had hoped to have left behind in the old reality, had hoped that the man was dead here and would never bother them again. "You've been a very bad boy, Daken," he growled, clearly angered and Northstar felt Daken tensing under his touch. "Do you have any idea for how long I have been looking for you after you simply disappeared on me? Just to realize that you got yourself a little bitch and live with daddy dearest under the same roof? I have no idea what has gotten into your head, boy, but I will make sure you remember your place!" Romulus raised his hand and gave a brief wave with it and MRD soldiers suddenly appeared, pointing their rifles at the couple. "Walk over here, very slowly and I promise your bitch will get a fast and clean death," the man growled menacingly and glared at them.

Northstar looked behind them and put himself in front of Daken, who was still staring at Romulus in shock and fear. He slowly began to back both of them up towards the edge of the building. "I've got another idea," he said and wrapped his arms tightly around Daken's waist. "How about you go and screw yourself?" he asked and made a sharp turn.

Daken felt how he was pulled up into the air at the same time as shots echoed through the sky and he clawed at Northstar's jacket when the man sent them flying fast to the ground. They had barely landed as bullets whizzed past him and he turned just see S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rushing their way. The speedster had barely scooped him up into his arms again and was about to start running as the man uttered a bloodcurdling scream, and both of them fell to the ground, hitting it hard. He looked at Northstar, who was holding his bleeding right thigh, writhing on the ground and screaming as if someone was cutting his leg off right now. Not thinking twice about it, Daken pulled him up and started running towards the next alley.

"Go after him and arrest him!" the lead soldier shouted and used his intercom. "We found him, sir!"

At the Avengers' HQ Fury got the call. "Good, arrest him and bring his ass back here," he demanded, completely unfazed by a very pissed off Wolverine.

"Hurt my son, Nick, 'n I'll hurt ya, I swear t'God!" Logan snapped and was met by a glare.

"Your son was at the scene when the tower blew up. Your son killed three of my men. Your son is on the run. Why, I wonder, if he is innocent," Fury mocked. "I told you to take care of him, Wolverine, or we would take care of him! This conversation is over!"

"Fuckin' piece of shit!" Logan bellowed and Fury's head only stayed on the shoulders because Jean stopped the attack with her powers. "Let me go, Jean!" Logan warned her.

"We will find him before they can. I'm locked on Jean-Paul's mind. They are not too far away," she told him and used her powers to make them ascend into the air.

"Yer gonna fly…?" Logan asked with a cocked eyebrow and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't be a pussy about flying for once, Logan! Seriously."

"Mind if I close my eyes?" he grunted and did exactly that as she made them fly towards their destination.

It didn't take long and they landed in an alley, Logan already able to smell blood. They had just turned around a corner as a ray of light hit Logan square in the chest and sent him crashing into the wall behind him. "It's us, Jean-Paul!" Jean said and walked over to the mutant that was hidden behind a large waste bin, shaking and sweating, his face pale. "Where are you hurt?" she asked and knelt down next to him, Logan joining them soon, his eyes looking for his son. Her eyes soon fell on the blood-soaked makeshift bandage that looked suspiciously like a part of Daken's shirt.

"Where's he?"

"He…," Jean-Paul panted and swallowed hard, gritting his teeth. "He wanted to lead those damn soldiers away…" He looked at Jean's hand. "Don't touch my leg! It hurts like shit."

"There's no exit wound. The bullet is stuck," Jean said, falling back into her medic role. "We need to get the bullet out and to take care of the wound."

Jean-Paul shook his head. "You need to find Hiro! We ran into Romulus and he was pissed off at him. I don't know what he and those MRD goons will do to him, if they catch him."

Logan's jerked his head around. "Romulus?!"

"Yeah, you have to find Hiro. Just leave me here and go looking for him!" Jean-Paul begged. "You can't do anything for me right now anyway. That bullet shattered or broke my bone, I can't walk and will slow you down. Go and help him. I'll be fine."

"We can't leave him here injured like this, Logan!" Jean insisted.

"Yes, yes you can. Go and find him!" Northstar disagreed and gritted his teeth as the unbearable pain shot up his spine once more. "Just go already!" he cried and felt how Jean lifted him with her powers. "What are you doing?!"

"I'll hide you in that building over there," she said and carefully motioned him through the window of the abandoned complex. "Don't move your leg and stay awake! We'll be back for you as soon as we found him." She promised and touched his temple to ease his pain for the moment.

Northstar gave her a thankful smile and watched them leaving, his eyes darting down to the wound that Daken had quickly treated with a piece of his shirt. He carefully touched the bandage and threw his head back as a bolt of pain hit him hard. "Crissé!" he cursed and started to shake one more. He couldn't move his leg one bit. It felt hot and burning and the pain was unbearable and even worse as back then when his team mates had nearly killed him with that baseball bat. He was sure his fermur was a goner and he fought against passing out.

He didn't know if he had passed out or was simply too dazed by pain to have lost any feeling for time as he heard voices coming closer. Waiting and remaining as still as possible, he remained where he was until he recognized the voice as Romulus. As quickly as he could he dived further into the shadows and was well aware of the fact that he was dead if the feral saw him.

"Just drop him in there. My son and his bitch are around and we'll have to find them first," he heard Romulus saying and held his breath as the door was opened and said man appeared, followed by two soldiers. "I made sure he will obey this time," he went on, his voice cold and menacing. "Isn't that so, Daken?" he asked and Northstar's eyes widened as the soldiers pulled the mutant roughly closer, the man flinching as Romulus grabbed his chin. "Don't you dare moving until I'm back or I'll do much worse next time!" he warned him with a growled and slapped him so hard that the feral hit the ground. "You'll stay right there while I deal with daddy dearest." The door went shut with a loud bang and the speedster stared at the feral, who lay curled up on the ground, trembling and not moving an inch. With gritted teeth he crawled over to him, dragging his injured leg with him and reached out to take Daken's limb hand.

"Hiro?" he whispered, his heart contracting as empty eyes looked back at him and his head jerked towards the door as this one was slammed open again, a more than just pissed off looking Romulus standing in the doorway.

"You…," he growled and leaped at them furiously, hitting the ground as Northstar quickly scooped Daken up and evaded the attack. "I'm going to kill you, fucker! I'm going to tear you apart, limb by limb until you're begging me to finally kill you!" he snarled and his eyes turned completely black in fury.

Instinctively pulling Daken closer, the speedster saw in slow motion how Romulus leaped at him once more, fangs and claws aiming for his throat. He heard Logan cutting away at the soldiers and did the only thing that came to his mind at that moment: he made use of the adrenaline that was rushing through his veins and gathered the last bit of strength he still had, holding on to Daken for dear life as he fled right as Logan kicked the door down, facing his father.

"Long time no see, James," Romulus mocked, eyes narrowed and he watched how Logan told Jean via intercom that he had found him before his son's glare was back on him.

"Where's my son?!" Logan growled, fury barely contained and stepped closer, blood still dripping from his claws.

Romulus snickered gleefully. "You mean this pathetic excuse for a waste of space?" he asked and began to move clockwise when Logan started to move in a circle, keeping a distance between them. "Unfortunately, that bitch of his managed to flee, but be assured that I did him good!"

Logan's eyes narrowed. "What did ya do t'him, ya piece of shit?!"

Grinning, his father clicked his tongue. "Want me to show you, son? Maybe you can still learn something from your old man," he mocked and kept moving in a circle, enjoying the look on Logan's face. His eyes briefly darted to a spot behind Logan and he smirked. "He deserved every bit of it. You should have heard him screaming," he taunted before he grinned darkly. "But don't worry, son. He took _it _like a man. More or less…"

Roaring, Logan saw red and jumped at his father. Romulus only smirked and ducked as one of the two MRD soldiers extended a glowing arm and hit Wolverine square in the chest, causing him to crash into the wall. Within a second both of them were pinning him to the ground, their eyes, face and body glowing with a fire from within. Woverine's angry snarl soon turned into a pained roar as they heated his skeleton up and burned him from within.

"You should thank your buddy Stark for this," Romulus said with a nod at the two soldiers that Logan desperately tried to fight off. "Enhanced soldiers. You should have noticed that they heal, son. No matter how much you turn them into Swiss cheese with your claws. Does it hurt much right now?" he mocked and went over to Logan, who was writhing underneath the soldiers and screaming in pain. "I hope it does. If you excuse me now, but I have a bitch to kill and Daken to find. Send regards to my daughter-in-law," he said and rammed his claws into Logan's abdomen, twisting them. "That is, if you are still alive until then." He beckoned for the two MRD's to follow him and was long gone until Jean landed in front of the building.

"Logan!" she gasped and fell to hear knees, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. "Honey, what happened?!" she asked and watched him writhing in agony, muffled cries and whimpers escaping him. She saw the blood on his shirt, but couldn't see any injury.

"Make it stop!" Logan whimpered and curled up into a ball, his skeleton feeling like melted lava inside of him. He could feel every nerve, every fiber of his body screaming in agony as he tried to fill his lungs with oxygen.

"Make what stop? I don't see any injury, Logan. I don't know what's wrong with you!" Jean replied distraught and used her powers to invade his mind, hoping to see a memory of what had happened. Her eyes widened in shock as she found what she was looking for. "Oh my God, what are those…?" she gasped and her eyes fell on Logan, who was trembling. Not thinking twice about it, she pulled him up with her powers and dragged him over to the butcher shop she had past. A tiny, psychic shattered the door and she went in, aiming for the storage room. Inside, she made short work of Logan's jeans, leather jacket and shirt and dropped him gently to the ground, her powers scooping up as much ice as she could gather in the cold room. Logan hissed as the welcoming cold touched his skin and closed his eyes, his breathing slowly returning back to normal. "Does it help?" he heard her asking, figuring that she was freezing and nodded. "Good. What were those soldiers?"

"No idea… He said Tony would know," Logan muttered and sighed as the pain steadily lessened. He hoped his adamantium hadn't taken any damage. "We need t'hurry. That fucker's huntin' Akihiro 'n JP."

"I already contacted Scott. A team is on their way," she informed him and knelt down to touch his forehead. "You're cooling down. That's good."

Slowly, Logan sat up and clenched and unclenched his hands, looking at the popped claws to inspect any damage. "We need t'go." He met her gaze and she sighed.

"We don't know where they are, Logan. Jean-Paul is injured. They can't have made it far."

"He'd take him somewhere safe…," he said and stood up to get dressed again. "Somewhere Romulus wouldn't look immediately… Somethin' that's close by 'n still outta reach…"

Jean, who had listened, frowned. "Where is this supposed to be? As injured as he was he could also very much be laying somewhere in the streets."

"Ya got yer phone on ya? Mine melted," Logan held up his completely destroyed mobile phone and tossed it into a corner, taking Jean's in the process.

"Who are you calling?" she wondered and followed him to the outside.

"Kyle. He should know where JP would hide in case of an emergency," he told her grimly and waited for the man to pick up his phone.

"I hope wherever that is has enough painkillers… If his fermur got shattered by the bullet the pain is pretty much unbearable and he shouldn't even be standing right now…," she muttered and crossed her arms, looking up as the X-jet came to a halt above them.

* * *

Northstar stood at the windows on his good leg, covered by shadows cast by the night. He kept his eyes on the street that was gradually getting wet by the downpour on the outside. He was tired, felt completely exhausted, was in pain that was hardly bearable anymore, but refused to go to sleep. He had already downed way too many painkillers that were supposed to numb the pain, and still felt as if someone had stuck a hot iron in his thigh and spine. He was sure that Romulus and his goons were after them and tracking them down, that they could be at their doorstep any minute. In the end, it was no secret that he had an apartment here. Maybe they were currently at one of Daken's apartments? Sighing, he ran both hands over his tired face. He could still call the mansion, but he refused to endanger their friends, especially now that they were on the run and might have to move any moment… Plus, Logan and Jean were out there and on their way…

A noise behind him made him startle and he turned. Akihiro was tossing and turning in bed, fighting against whoever held him down in his sleep, whimpers and growls going hand in hand. Before Jean-Paul could react the feral leapt up in bed and lashed out, his claws cutting through air. Panting, the feral stared blankly ahead, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. "It's okay. No one's here," Northstar whispered as not to startle him further and Daken jerked his head aside, staring at him with wild eyes. After checking the windows and streets once more, he hobbled over to the man, who slowly retracted his claws with shaking hands. "You're safe!" Jean-Paul assured him and reached carefully out to touch an arm. "Go back to sleep."

Shaking his head, Daken pulled his legs close, rested his arms on his knees and lowered his head between them; covering his head with both arms. He was shaking, trembling uncontrollably and felt as if he couldn't breathe, as if someone still had his hand tightly wrapped around his throat and was suffocating him, grinning while he did so. His body was hurting all over, he didn't have to look to know that there was dried blood between his legs, it was like fire eating away at his insides, killing him from within. He tensed as he was suddenly embraced and only relaxed as Northstar began to whisper sweet nothings to him. Closing his eyes, Daken leant into him and tried to force his body to regain control, to stop trembling and hurting and making him feel miserable all over.

"You're burning up," Jean-Paul noticed and touched his forehead, then his cheeks and neck. "Come on. Let's get you changed into dry clothes. I'll change the sheets." He helped him up as good as he could, supported him wobbly until he was sure Daken could stand on his own two feet and made short work of the bed. He watched the feral closely, every move screamed pain and he was sure the feral was in a lot. His usual elegant and sure moves had been replaced with a stiff movement and a clearly visible limp. Northstar went over to the armoire and got a pair of pants and a shirt out of it. He pushed the bathroom door that had been left ajar slowly open and held his breath at the sight in front of him. Covered in bruises, dried blood, scratches and a bite mark large enough that a good chunk of the skin on the shoulder was missing, Daken supported himself on the sink and stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror, a washcloth in his right hand.

Wordlessly, Jean-Paul put the clothes on the edge of the bathtub and went over to the feral. Their eyes met briefly in the mirror before he turned the feral around and began to slowly open the button of Daken's tattered and bloody jeans, pulling them carefully down. He gritted his teeth as he went as far down as he could and helped him to step out of them, then went back up and took the washcloth wordlessly from Daken. He applied soap to it after letting it soak in the water and began to carefully wash the battered skin which was usually completely flawless. Sky-blue eyes watched how the cloth ran over skin, cleansed the remnants of the attack, did its best to more or less return it to its former state. He kissed each bruise gently, his free hand taking Akihiro's into his and squeezing it, knowing that he couldn't take that memory away, but that he was there and wouldn't go anywhere. In between he cleansed the washcloth and repeated the procedure until the blood and dirt was gone, every bruise cleansed and kissed and memorized by him. Looking up from where he was standing on one leg, he looked straight into sad, deep brown eyes. Without taking his eyes off the feral, he moved back up, the dirty washcloth forgotten in the sink and reached out to cup the feral's face, his thumbs brushing tears away as he leaned in to kiss fresh ones away. Jean-Paul looked at his opposite and, for the first time ever, didn't think _Daken_, but _Akihiro_. Because the man standing in front of him right now wasn't the arrogant and ridiculously self-assured man, but the broken, lonely and deeply hurt boy that was usually undetectable in the man. He reached out to take the clean clothes and helped him getting dressed, before he took the feral's hand and led him back to the bedroom where he slumped down on the bed and beckoned for Akihiro to join him. Northstar opened his arms and wrapped them protectively around the man who had lain down next to him and was resting his head against the speedster's chest. While his breathing evened out soon Northstar kept his tired eyes on the door and window, listening for any noises that would announce their enemies… The painkillers and exhaustion, though, did their work and he passed out, not seeing the shadow that became visible through the slit at the bottom of the door.

**I updated sooner than I wanted to, but the scenes kept on invading my mind and I had to write them down. The happy times will come though. I hope you liked it. Thanks to those that left a review. Please, leave a review and let me know what you think! Take care!**

**PS: There will be no more new chapter before at least 6 reviews pour in. I really am busy and take a lot of time to sit down and write next to my fulltime job at school and college, so all I'm asking of you is to be fair and review after reading.**


	35. Epilogue 10

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

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* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 10**

Steve Rogers was looking at the monitor in front of him, replaying the scene the surveillance camera had recorded over and over again as Bucky entered the room and put a hand on his shoulder. "Fury is looking for you, Cap."

Steve sighed, nodded and got up. He took notice of the look Bucky gave the screen. "It doesn't make sense."

"Doesn't it?"

"No, it doesn't!" Steve insisted and Bucky followed him towards the room Fury was waiting in. "He fought with us, he was on our side!"

"He never liked us and he could never be trusted!" Bucky disagreed and grabbed Steve's arm before the man could enter the room. "We lost very good people today. Tony got injured, Clint too. Don't let your belief in the good in people fool you in this case! We've got solid proof on tape that he planted that bomb!"

Steve sighed and lowered his head. "I'm telling you it doesn't make sense!" he still insisted. "Why attack us? Why now? For what purpose?"

"Maybe to prove that he can?" a female voice said behind him and Natasha came closer, followed by Agent Carter, who gave Steve a brief smile. "He's on tape. The tape shows he planted that bomb. Period. We go after him, find him and he'll pay dearly for what he's done!"

"I think we're making a mistake…" Steve said and didn't wait for them to say anything else. He simply turned and entered Fury's room, knowing that the man would insist he hunted Daken down and brought him to justice. He had seen the video, of course he had, but his feeling told him that something wasn't right. In the end, the mutant had fought with them. Logan had assured him over and over again that his son was on their side. And what reason could he have to attack them?! He looked up as Fury addressed him again and looked clearly annoyed at him. "You were saying, sir?"

"That you should stop daydreaming and get to work!" Fury snapped. "I don't care what you have to do in order to bring this bastard here. I don't care if you have to go up against Wolverine either. What Daken did was attacking the United States of America and this is high treason!" Fury said angrily.

"He attacked the Avengers tower, sir…"

"Which is a governmental institution and therefore, US property!" he insisted and Steve sighed. "He's lucky if he gets a sentence for life for this."

Cap crossed his arms. "There's no capital punishment in New York anymore."

Fury shrugged. "There are enough other states. We have our ways and I've got my orders. Go…and find him! That's my order for you!" he said and Cap shook his head, but left the room and went to find his team mates.

* * *

To say that Logan was frustrated was an understatement. He was beyond any possible state of frustration. He was standing atop of a building, Jean at his side and he was sniffing the air for minutes on end. Once more he shook his head.

"I'll change the direction once more," Storm said and her eyes turned white as she made the wind blow from another direction.

"Anything?" Cyclops asked Jean, who was using her telepathy to find their friends, but she shook her head. "Damn it…" He leant his hands on the edge of the rooftop and looked all the way down, watched the cars pass by far down below. His eyes were searching for any of these weird soldiers Jean had told him about, but all he could see were black SUVs that screamed S.H.I.E.L.D. patrolling the streets. "Do you think he did it? Daken I mean."

"I don't know, Scott," Jean sighed after scanning the area once more. "I don't see any reason for him to do it… But then again we know how unstable he can get."

"Hm…," Scott made and looked at Logan as this one made a noise.

"Got'em." The feral pointed north-west at a skyscraper.

Scott tilted his head and crossed his arms, his eyes fixed on the building. "I hope you also know on which floor they are…" he mocked and followed the team.

* * *

"Still nothing?" Moira asked while cleaning her hands and looked through the window that showed her the adjoining room.

"No," Hank sighed and scribbled on a paper. He put his pen away and got up, reading through the certificate. "Charles only told me to keep the ICU ready, just in case." He showed her the piece of paper in his hand with a grin. "What do you think Logan will say to this?"

Moira giggled. "He'll throw a fit."

"That's what I think too," he nodded and went into the adjoining room where Narya and John were staring at their baby boy in awe. "Here's the birth certificate. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but fine," the blonde smiled and stroked over her son's cheek, the boy sleeping peacefully.

"Good. Let us know if you're in pain and be careful with your movements!" he warned her.

"Any words from Logan?" John asked, but Hank shook his head.

"I'll let you know as soon as I hear something."

"Thanks," John said and looked aside when Narya yawned. "Want me to take him, baby? You look beat." She nodded and settled into the covers after he took the bundle from her, smiling at his son. "How about we go and visit your big sister, hm?" he asked and kissed the boy's forehead before he left the room and went upstairs in search for his daughter. His eyes were fixed on his son, who had his eyes closed and was sleeping peacefully, wrapped in his blue blanket. He stroked carefully over the shock of dark, almost raven black hair and stepped out of the elevator. He could easily hear the TV running in the Rec-room and went that way, finding more than just one X-Men in the room, huddled together and watching a movie.

Kitty, who was snuggled up to Piotr, looked up and smiled as she saw him standing in the doorway. "The baby!" she exclaimed excitedly and he came closer to show them the addition to their large family. "How cute!" she gushed and John handed her the bundle with a proud smile. "Look at him!" She looked at her husband with a smile and cooed softly at the boy, who squinted sleepily. "Hey there, cutie. What's your name, sweety?"

"Logan will kill us when he hears the name," John laughed and crossed his arms. "We wrote those that we liked on several papers and one. In the end, and I'm not joking here, we had James. So it's James."

"Oh, Wolvie will definitely kill you, Twice!" Jubilee snickered.

"Is Anna sleeping?"

"Yeah, over at 'Ro's," Bobby yawned.

"I'll let her sleep then," John decided after a look at the clock. "Any word from the team?"

"No," Kitty said and handed the bundle back over to him. "Last thing we heard was that Logan managed to track them down."

He nodded and yawned. "Well, let's hope they are alright…"

* * *

"For fuck's sake, let him go!" Jean-Paul barked and forgot the blinding pain for a moment as he struggled against the two MRD soldiers that were keeping him down. He watched in horror how Romulus was holding Daken up against a wall with one hand, squeezing his throat and watching gleefully how the feral struggled for air. "Stop it and let him go!"

"Your bitch is worried as it seems," the tall feral snickered and squeezed harder for a moment until Daken's eyes rolled back in his head, then threw him aside. He watched how the man wheezed and coughed, desperate to fill his lungs with oxygen. "I really don't know," Romulus snarled and went slowly over, "why it is so hard to obey me all of a sudden, Daken? Did they get some funny ideas into your head, is that it?" he asked and knelt down next to the feral, who was still catching his breath, an ugly bruise covering his right cheek all the way down to his jaw. Romulus waited for a reply. As Daken lashed desperately out at him he easily caught his wrist and broke it in one swift, smirking at the howl that followed. "I really think you didn't learn your lesson before…," he decided and was about to turn the smaller feral around, as baby blue eyes, not far from him, began to glow in an angry white.

* * *

"What was that?" Scott asked as they heard a loud crash down the corridor. He shielded his eyes, blinding white light washing over them like a wave, followed by an angry roar and the sound of glass shattering. He blinked the annoying black dots away and was finally able to see the corridor again. "That came from…," he began, but Logan already sprinted towards the door and kicked it in. His hand reached for his visor as he came closer and stopped next to Logan, who had his claws out and at the ready. "Anything?"

"I can still smell'em…," Logan snarled and scanned the empty living room suspiciously. "'n I feel a presence…"

"I sense three…," Jean said and entered the room carefully, a psychic bubble protecting the team. She made her way over to the large and shattered window and looked down. Her head barely looked out of the window as something large jumped at her out of the shadows to push her out. A scream escaped her lips and she was falling.

"JEAN!" Logan barked and was ready to jump over to the window as he realized who was blocking it. "Yer so dead, asshole!" he snarled and jumped at Romulus, who easily evaded the attacked and gave Logan an extra nudge to make him collide with the wall head first.

"Storm!" Scott shouted, his visor ready to attack the two, strangely glowing MRD soldiers. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Romulus heading into his direction and got distracted for a moment, not seeing how one MRD soldier pointed his rifle at him, ready to shoot. "Shit…," he cursed and refocused once more.

"Don't let'em touch ya!" Logan barked and was still blinking the stars in front of his eyes away, as Storm launched an attack at the other soldier. His eyes quickly searched for Romulus, cursing as he realized that his father had escaped. He felt a presence behind him all of a sudden and quickly turned around, just to look straight into Phoenix's angry eyes. "Yer alright, darlin'?"

"Very much so," she snarled and narrowed her eyes only once which caused the two soldiers to vaporize. "Where is Romulus?" she asked, scanning the room and building for the man.

"Gone…," Scott sighed. "I got distracted."

"What were those?!" Ororo asked, indicating she meant the weird soldiers, before she remembered why they had come. "Any trace of Jean-Paul and Daken?!"

"Not here…," Logan and Jean said at the same time.

* * *

The moment Romulus had touched Daken Northstar's eyes had begun to glow in an angry white, a glow that soon covered his whole body and made the two MRD soldier look at each other. He made use of their surprise and gathered the light his body was radiating, just to spread it in the whole room and sending a blast into every direction. A move that send the soldiers flying and Romulus to crash into the wall behind Daken.

The feral got quickly up and pulled Northstar up, immediately heading for the door.

"No," the speedster said and made Daken stop. "The window. We'll never make it down the stairs."

Daken looked at him in concern, but went for the window anyway. "You're swaying and can hardly stand…"  
"I'll bring us down safely!" the stubborn speedster replied and held on to the feral with gritted teeth. He saw movement out of the corner of his eyes and was hardly able to gasp as Romulus leaped at them. With a quick move he pushed Daken and himself forward and through the window, Romulus fist still hitting the side of his head hard and he black out.

Daken felt himself falling rapidly and clung to Northstar for dear life, his broken wrist making it difficult to hold on to. "Slow us down!" he said and his eyes widened as he realized that his partner was unconscious and they were free-falling from the 70th floor of Beekman Tower and the street underneath them was rapidly coming closer. Desperate, he began shouting his name at the same time as he was staring at their doom and he had already seen the 10th floor flying by, as Northstar opened his eyes groggily and widened them in sheer panic. Daken felt the pull as the speedster tried to slow them down quickly, but knew that the man wouldn't be able to slow them down quick enough. He closed his eyes and braced for the impact. Both of them crashed into the windshield of a car, smashing it completely and the feral felt how his fall was cushioned by something hard, an excruciating howl indicating that he partially landed on Northstar, who glided off the car and landed on the pavement. Ignoring his laceration and hurting wrist and leg, Daken hopped off the car and knelt down next to the wheezing speedster. "Are you alright?"

"No…"

"What's wrong?" he asked and tried to see any external injuries, but only saw some cuts from the windshield. He helped Northstar into a sitting position and cupped his cheek, feeling how the man leant into it heavily. "Hey, don't black out on me now! We need to keep moving."

"I can't…move…," the speedster breathed and hissed in pain. "I think I broke all of my left side…"

"Damnit…," Daken cursed and looked up and down the streets. "I hear S.H.I.E.L.D.," he said and looked at the man in front of him again. "We need to move!"

"Just leave me here and run…"

"The hell I'm going to do!" he snapped and pulled Northstar up into his arms.

"GET DOWN! NOW!" soldiers barked behind them and got into position, surrounding them.

"Fuck…" Daken ducked behind the car and his mind was going through all possible scenarios in order to find a way out.

"I…might be able to fly us back home," Northstar said, breathing hard and their eyes met. "I can't promise though. I'm pretty much done…"

Daken looked up, hearing the soldiers coming closer. "They're coming…"

"Hold on to me," the speedster said and he did, even though he was sure they would hardly make it considering Northstar's condition.

They had barely left as the team arrived, trying to catch their breaths. "Damn it…," Scott cursed and his eyes switched from the sky to the S.H.I.E.L.D. group on the opposite side of the street. "Where are they heading now?"

"From what I could gather back t'the mansion," Logan said and he looked at Jean, who nodded. "Let's go!"

While they made their way back to the jet, Northstar fought against losing consciousness and barely managed to land more or less safely on the mansion's grounds before he succumbed to the darkness that took claim of him. "Shit…," Daken cursed and was about to pull him up with his good hand as the leaves of the bushes rustled behind him and he soon found himself surrounded by Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

"He needs medical attention, so I suggest a deal," Fury said, arms crossed behind his back and his one eye glaring at Daken. "Surrender, come with us and he is free to go. Try to run again and we'll shoot him first. I have enough of running after you!"

The feral heaved a deep breath and went down on his knees, yelping as three soldiers twisted his broken wrist while cuffing his hands on his back. Before he realized what was going on someone put a black hood over his head and another agent slammed something hard against the side of his head to render him unconscious. S.H.I.E.L.D. was long gone when the X-jet landed and the group left the hangar. As they passed the ICU Hank came out and requested Jean to follow him immediately.

"Is Akihiro also here?" she asked after taking a thorough look at the unconscious and injured speedster.

"I haven't seen him. Remy found him in the garden," Hank replied and Logan growled.

"He wouldn't leave him there… Somethin' happened."

"Or maybe he couldn't carry him anymore and your son landed in the wood? Maybe he's injured?" Scott suggested and both of them headed off to search for the feral.

Hank sighed and shook his head at the situation. "I really want to know what happened to him. I have no idea how he was able to even remotely fly injured like this."

"That bad?" the redhead asked and received a nod. She took the file that he handed her and read through it. "I already assumed that his leg was bad…"

"It's not bad, it's a catastrophe!" he disagreed. "His femur is completely smashed. Look at the x-ray, Jean. There's no way we can save his leg. What kind of bullets did S.H.I.E.L.D. use? Something to hunt an elephant with?!"

"I'm not so sure that it was them. A damage like this screams MRD…," she said and took a look at the x-ray that showed a completely shattered femur, bone and bullet fragments scattered like a jigsaw with million pieces. She had no idea how the man managed to stay conscious that long. The pain must have been unbearable. And Hank was right. There was no way they could save the leg. "He's an athlete and speedster..."

"I know. But the damage is done. He won't survive injured like this," Hank argued and she sighed heavily. "I go and prepare surgery."

Jean nodded absentmindedly while looking at the speedster in the bed in front of her. Maybe… "Hank, wait!" she called and he froze on the spot, his eyes finding hers. "Let me try something."

"Try what?" he asked, but she shushed him and he figured that she was concentrating hard. Leaning back against the table behind him, he watched how she touched Northstar's leg with both hands and heaved a deep breath. Jean closed her eyes, concentrated even harder and his eyes grew wide as she began to glow like fire. He simply stood there, frozen on the spot and watched her in awe, couldn't tell for how long he had been standing there as she opened her eyes again and the glow disappeared. "What did you do, Jean?"

"I tried to set the fragments back together… He will need a cast though," she told him and looked up when Hank came closer. "And he will hate it…"

"Why?" he asked while prepping plaster.

"He is not allowed to move his leg at all considering the damage and I won't take any chances. So the cast needs to begin at his hip and go all the way down."

"Oh, he will definitely hate it… Especially with his left arm being in a cast too, thanks to his broken collarbone and shoulder," Hank agreed and handed her the utensils at the same time as Logan and Scott burst back in.

"He's gone!" Logan said and was clearly agitated. "He ain't in the woods. His scent stops right at the spot where they found JP."

"…and right where Nick Fury's scent is," Scott added and looked to and fro between Jean and Hank.

"So S.H.I.E.L.D. has him?" Jean asked.

"They claim no, of course," Logan snarled and crossed his arms. "I bet they have him."

"So what's your plan?" Hank asked while he was helping Jean with the cast.

"Paying their HQ a visit," the feral grunted after he thought about it for a moment and turned to head out of the room.

**Thanks a lot to the few that left a review after reading the chapter. I'll be heading to London on Friday, so if you want an update before that leave a review! Think we can manage 6-8 again? Take care!**


	36. Epilogue 11

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!**

* * *

**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 11**

Eyes watched as cold water was splashed over the naked body of the man that hung from the ceiling, his wrists cuffed to a chain that was fastened far above him. The man, whose head was hidden by a black hood reacted to the sudden cold by trashing briefly and uttering a gasped that was muffled by the black fabric.

"I'm asking you again," the man inside the room could be heard over the intercom by those that were watching from the adjoining room and walked in a circle around the hanging man. "Did someone give you an order? If so, who? Where did you get that bomb? How did you know where to place it?" he rattled down his questions and waited, but the man remained silent once more. "ANSWER ME!"

All air left the man's lungs as a fist collided with his exposed belly and another connected with his jaw. A rough hand grabbed his neck and brought him closer to what he figured was his torturer's face. He could smell the cold cigarette smoke on his opposite's breath and felt disgusted.

"It doesn't matter if you talk or not. You attacked the US government, good people died because of you and you'll hang for this," he hissed and tightened his grip. "A confession will only change how you'll die. It's either necktie party or the needle." He waited a moment before he went on. "So I'm asking you again… Contract? Or your own doing?"

Underneath the hood Daken gritted his teeth at the pain his broken wrist caused him and heaved deep breaths to overcome it. He was exhausted, completely drained of energy and all he wanted was to finally be allowed to sleep. They were keeping him awake for at least three days already, kept him hanging from this goddamn ceiling or threw him into a dark pit that depraved him of all senses. He also hadn't had food or water and the fever that was wreaking havoc in his already messed up body didn't help his situation at all. He was shaking badly and his brain and body demanded sleep badly. He wondered if the team even knew where they had taken him. He guessed not. There was no way they would leave him in this hellhole. Except…they believed he had done what S.H.I.E.L.D. accused him of.

"As you wish…," his torturer suddenly said and Daken craned his neck a bit to hear what the man was doing now. He heard how something was brought closer, then switched on and how the man came closer. "You asked for his," was all his opposite said before something cold and hard touched his left shoulder and right hip. An agonizing wail escaped the feral's lips as his muscles contracted and his body began to spasm wildly, electricity shooting through every fiber of his body and turning him into a trashing mess. He could still feel the burn as the flow stopped and he heaved a deep breath, just to notice that he could breathe at all. In front of him, his torturer had pulled the hood, above which a plastic back was put over, back and the fabric and plastic was covering his victim's nose and mouth. He gritted his teeth as Daken began to trash in a vain attempt to breathe and pulled even stronger. "Just tell me what I want to know and this will stop," he told him and let go of the hood, listening to the heavy gasps his victim was taking, before he applying the rods to two different positions and electrocuted him once more. He waited a moment before the stink of burned skin became too much for him and withdrew the rods again. He put them aside and made sure the unconscious man in front of him was still breathing. A syringe was filled with a high dose of adrenaline and the needle carelessly pushed through skin. It didn't take long and his victim woke up again. "No sleep or passing out for you!" he told him and threw the syringe aside. His hand went for his earpiece and he listened to his superiors. "Well, it seems it has already gotten late. How about I leave you hanging here, hm?" he asked, but dropped Daken carelessly to the ground anyway and tore the hood off.

After he was finally left alone, lying on the ground covered in sweat and shaking badly, the feral closed his eyes in exhaustion and prayed that sleep would overcome him and allow him to pass out. He had barely closed his eyes as the overhead lights began to flicker and loud music blared through the speakers, keeping him awake once more.

"He won't talk," Fury said and watched the mutant with disdain, arms folded in front of his chest.

"Anderson is an expert in his field. He makes everyone talk," a man on his left disagreed.

"Don't you think you are overdoing it?" Sharon Carter asked, her blue eyes looking at the suffering prisoner with sympathy and looked up when she felt that all eyes were on her. "What if he is saying the truth and it wasn't him, but a shape shifter or something similar?"

"You were saying, Agent 13?" one of the top brass of the military asked her coldly. "See, gentleman? That's why you don't bring women to an interrogation!" he added and made everyone but Fury, who shook his head at his agent, chuckle. "I think we also heard enough. The judges saw this, no?"

"Yes," Fury replied. "What's your plan?"

"My plan?" the man began and was interrupted as the door opened and the interrogator joined them. "Well done, Sitwell!"

"Well done?! He's not going to talk," Sitwell grunted and crossed his arms, glaring at Daken through the window.

"It doesn't matter if he confesses or not. We have solid proof on tape and that is enough," the man tried to calm him down as his phone beeped. "Excuse me, gentleman."

Fury, who was leaning against the wall behind him, watched him carefully and his eye looked aside as Carter came closer. "Not now!"

"But, sir!" the woman tried and got interrupted once more as the man shut his phone.

"It's decided. He's found guilty and will be executed at 6 a.m. tomorrow," he informed them, pocketing his phone.

"Executed how, sir?" Sitwell asked.

"Lethal injection," came the cold reply. "Gentleman, I thank you very much for your cooperation. Let's call it a night. I've got an execution to prepare." He waited for them to leave the room, before his eyes fell on Daken. Slowly, he began to switch off the cameras in the interrogation room and any other device that could record him before he made his way to the adjoining room and closed the door behind him.

Daken, who lay curled up on the ground raised his head tiredly and watched the tall man coming closer. He was wearing a dark suit with black tie, his head was bald, the eyes a steel-grey that made him shudder and he was broad-shouldered and muscular. He didn't know him though. The cruel smile the man wore on his lips though gave him the creeps.

"So, Daken… You kept your mouth shut as you were trained by Romulus, hm?" the man asked him and Daken began to frown. How did that man know about Romulus?! "Endured everything as the good boy you once were. I am sure you made your master proud," the stranger mocked and crouched down next to him, still smiling. "Don't bother. You don't know me. But I know everything about you. And…" He let his hand ran through the messy hair on Daken's head, suddenly pulling his head back sharply, "Romulus sends his regards. He was willing to pay a very nice sum in order to make you suffer. I hope you're looking forward to your execution in 8 hours. In case you're hoping you will merely fall asleep before the other two drugs kill you…" He chuckled and shook his head. "Romulus gave me a nice drug, especially made for scum like you. It will kill you and you will suffer agonies. Just the right punishment for mutant scum like you," he told him in a low voice and suddenly slammed Daken's head into the ground.

Groaning, Daken closed his eyes as his vision began to swim and his ears to ring even worse than before. His eyes rolled back in his head as nausea set in, but he blinked the upcoming darkness away, too afraid of what the man would do to him, if he passed out. He looked aside, his eyes widened as the bald man disposed of his neatly folded jacket, then rolled up his sleeves slowly; all of it with the same sickening smile upon his lips. Mentally, he already prepared himself for another beating as the man took one of the rods from the nearby table with a smirk.

"I know you've got your limits," he said in a chilling voice and crouched down next to him again, holding up the rod for him to see. Daken held his breath as the rod touched his neck and his torturer let it run down his spine slowly, even further until it was nestled between his legs. "A fag like you likes it up his ass, don't you?" he heard him asking before a hand clasped his mouth shut to muffle his scream. "Oh, you like this, don't you? And guess what? We've got at least another 7 hours all alone to ourselves!"

* * *

Jean startled as Logan slammed the door shut and came stomping down the bluish corridor of the X-mansion's underground levels. Behind him was Scott, who was walking next to Remy, Ororo and Kitty, all of them looking sour, but also keeping a distance to the clearly pissed off feral.

"Don't ask!" Logan growled and went past her, straight to the elevator, leaving her standing in the middle of the doorway and looking after him.

"It was another dead end," Scott informed her with a sigh. "No one knows where they brought Daken or were they are currently holding him."

"Damn it…," Jean muttered and crossed her arms. "Charles couldn't find him either…"

"What if they already killed him?" Ororo asked after a moment of silence and earned looks for the comment. "What?! It's a possibility that we have to take into consideration."

"How's Jean-Paul?" Scott changed the subject and the redhead sight, taking a look over her shoulder.

"Still feverish and he hasn't woken up, yet…" She ran a hand over her tired face. "Hank and I need to leave for Washington in a bit… I don't like leaving during this whole mess."

"We'll keep you updated," Scott promised and put a hand to her shoulder, then followed the others back upstairs, surprised to find Cap and Tony talking to Logan at the front door.

"Why are they here?" Kitty wondered and exchanged a look with her team.

"Remy dinks dey might know w'ere da Snicktling is," the Cajun said and followed Scott over to the small group, nodding at their guests. His red eyes looked the two Avengers over. "To w'at do we owe da pleasure?"

"I guess you know why," Tony replied and remained on the spot, his arms crossed. "We're trying to find the Snicktling."

"Why?" Kitty asked suspiciously.

"Because we don't think Daken did anything," Cap said. "It just doesn't make any sense why he would attack us all of a sudden."

"Tell that Fury," Logan huffed and glared at the front door. His mood was bad, his mind tired and by now all those sleepless hours of searching for his eldest was getting to him. He had looked everywhere. He didn't know where else to look or who to ask. He had even been desperate enough to contact people like Bullseye and Deadpool. "Did ya find anythin'?" he finally asked, but Cap and Tony shook their heads.

"He was brought to the Avengers Tower, but then they've taken him somewhere else. I had Jarvis check upon any secret locations, but there are no results," Tony informed him.

"Any other information might be classified," Cap added.

"Anyway, let's sit down and figure out what to do. In the meanwhile, I have Jarvis hack into Fury's files," Tony suggested.

Logan nodded and looked up when Jean and Hank came towards them, both pulling a trolly behind them. He watched her greeting Tony and Cap before he hugged her and returned her kiss. "Be careful, alright?" he asked and tucked her hair back behind her ear. "Call when ya have arrived."

"I will. The children are already in bed. Call me as soon as you have news," she said and kissed him once, then followed Hank to the waiting cab.

"Where's she going?" Tony asked and followed the X-Men to another room where they could discuss their next steps.

"Some Capitol meetin' with the bigshot of Mutant Affairs," Logan grunted and opened the door to his office. He went over to the window and looked out of it. "What do ya suggest?"

Cap, who had sat down on a free stool, shrugged. "Where did you look already?" he asked and listened at the group's recollection of their search, then told them theirs. They began discussing possible ways of finding the mutant, a look at the clock telling Cap that it was almost 4 a.m. and reminding him once more of how exhausted he actually was. "Found something?" He looked at Tony, who shook his head. A beeping noise interrupted his thought and he reached for his phone.

Tony watched Cap talking to someone briefly before his attention was back on the device in his hand. Jarvis had hacked into Fury's S.H.I.E.L.D. account, but there was nothing that even remotely hinted to Daken's whereabouts. He looked up as Cap's face began to change and listened further in.

"I'm at the X-mansion, why are you asking?" Cap asked and listened. "Yeah, sure. Come over." He put his phone down and frowned at Tony. "What?"

"Was it your sweetheart?" Tony teased him and snickered as Cap blushed noticeably. He stopped going through Fury's file and instead accessed public cameras and activated facial recognition.

"She's not my sweetheart…," Cap muttered and looked quickly away.

"Can we get back to the topic at hand?" Ororo asked. "Where else can we look?"

"Or who can we ask?" Kitty added.

"'n kill?" Logan grunted while he was glaring at the darkness on the outside. They remained in the room until, approximately half an hour later, Cap's phone rang again and Scott went to open the front door. He returned with Sharon Carter, who greeted them and looked into the round.

"See? It was your sweetheart," Tony muttered, biting his cheek to keep himself from grinning. As he had expected both blushed like tomatoes. "What brings you here, agent?"

"I…," Sharon began and bit her lip, looking clearly uncomfortable. "I'm not allowed to tell you this. It's classified information and they'll know it's been me…"

"Tell us what?" Cap asked and met her gaze.

"Ya know where my son is!" Logan immediately guessed right and let go of the wall to head over and face her. "Where's he?!" he snarled and Cap got quickly up to go between them.

"Do you know where he is?" he asked her and she nodded. "Where?"

"They're holding him in a compound that is underground in the city. They were torturing him for hours to get him to admit that he placed the bomb," she said and tensed when Logan narrowed his eyes, growling. "I don't think he did it… But they are convinced that he is the culprit and convicted him."

"Convicted him?!" Kitty asked and came closer. "How?"

"That's how they work. There's no official law, but their law and their ways," Tony said. "What's the sentence?"

"Death by lethal injection at 6 a.m…," Sharon said, her gaze lowered.

Logan stared at her, then his eyes fell on the clock. They had a bit more than one and a half hours left. "And yer tellin' us NOW?!" he snapped at her angrily. "Where's that fuckin' compound?!"

"We can't just barge in, Logan!" Scott said and already thought about a plan, but he also needed to know the structure of the building in order to create one. He was about to as Carter as Tony's mobile went off.

The Avenger looked at it. "It's Reed," he let the group know and frowned. "What could he want?" he wondered and answered the phone, ignoring the ongoing fight between Logan, Carter and Cap, who was trying to solve the problem diplomatically. What he heard on the other side of the phone however, and what he saw in the file that Reed had sent over, rendered him speechless for once. He switched off the phone and stared at the video in front of him. In the far right corner was the date and time stamp, a fact that told him the incident had happened merely ten minutes ago. "Guys?" Tony had to say for several times, raising his voice with each attempt to get the attention of his group. As they were finally looking into his direction, he turned his small computer around. "Part of the Baxter Building just got blown up and guess who planted the bomb?" he said and pressed play on the keyboard.

* * *

Nick Fury stood behind the window and watched how Daken was strapped down on the table, his face covered in bruises that hadn't been there a few hours ago. He frowned as the mutant didn't fight back and simply stared blankly ahead while the two guards fastened each belt. What made him frown was the odd, empty look in the mutant's eyes. Wondering about what might had happened to him in the past hours, his eyes darted to the clock that showed 5:45 a.m. Sighing, he crossed his arms. He needed to get out of this building and that fast. He didn't even know what was going on on the outside.

"He still didn't say anything, hm?" the man from yesterday asked and Fury shook his head. "Stubborn little prick… Well, he's going to pay for what he did." He moved closer to the window, deliberately standing in Daken's sight. As the mutant's eyes darted towards him, he smirked cruelly at him, his mind remembering the hours beforehand. Romulus would definitely be pleased. The door to his right opened and both men looked aside.

"We're ready. Do you want to talk to him before we begin?"

"No," Fury said, because what was he supposed to tell him? I'm sorry, but you deserve this? Why did you do this and went behind our backs? Do you know what you're doing to Logan with this? His eyes looked at the clock. Four minutes left. He wondered what he could tell Logan. The feral would kill every single person of S.H.I.E.L.D. in retribution, they would lose the X-Men as allies too… However, he had his orders and served the country.

"Do you have any last words?" he heard the executioner ask behind the window and awoke from his daydream, his eyes darting to the needle in each crook of the feral's arms. God, Logan would kill him and everyone in this room… He had spent the whole night trying to find evidence, his gut feeling telling him that what they were doing was wrong, but all he chad come up was the same video that clearly showed Daken placing the bomb. Fury looked at the feral, who was covered in sweat and shaking despite the restraints. He wondered if it was fear, or if the Daken was sick. He had noticed that the man wasn't healing at all. Each bruise that should have long faded was clearly visible on his body, his broken wrist swollen and an angry red. He watched how the guard in the room nodded towards whoever was sitting behind the one way mirror, as angry shouts and loud noises could be heard on the outside of the room and suddenly the door to the execution chamber was kicked open, revealing a very angry looking Wolverine. Shit, was all Fury could think, but to his biggest surprise the feral was closely followed by Cap, Carter and Tony.

"Proceed as planned!" the man to his right demanded through the speaker and Fury could clearly see the liquid running through the tubes, but also how Logan swirled around and cut straight through them. "Goddamn it! Someone take him down! Arrest them!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Tony warned and raised his arm, while Logan busied himself with freeing his son. "We've got proof that the Snicktling here is innocent!"

"Plus, torture is against the law," Carter added.

"Not to forget to mention that lethal injection is also against the law in this state," Cap said and turned to help Logan with his son. "What did they do to you?! He needs medical attention, Logan, and that quickly!" He took the feral's left arm as the man dropped to the ground as soon as his feet touched it.

"What proof is that supposed to be?" the man asked through the intercom and glared at the group inside. Fury turned briefly and nodded at Natasha when she came over to him with a small computer to show him a video.

"How is this possible?!" he asked after he saw it and she shrugged.

"Shape shifter? Someone who is determined to set him up? We're on it," she told him and he watched the video again and again. "No casualties at Baxter Building though."

Fury nodded and pressed replay once more. The video clearly showed how the same man, who looked exactly like Daken, just sporting a carefully styled mohawk, entered the building, went to the upper levels and placed a bomb that was carefully hidden. Afterwards, he exited the building again, a smug, shit-eating grin on his lips. "What is going on here?!" he muttered and looked up, watching how Logan scooped his unconscious son up into his arms and hurried out with him, followed by Carter, Cap and Tony.

"We were wrong," Black Widow said, ignoring the man to her right that was throwing a fit. "We probably just severed the ties to the X-Men…"

Fury's eye glared at her. "You were convinced he did it too, Natasha!"

She gave him a cold look back. "Yes, but who exactly said to torture him to death?"

Fury ignored the snarky comment and left the room, closely followed by her. "Why were Cap and Stark here?"

Natasha shrugged. "Cap always believes in the good of people. He and Stark were snooping around and asking questions. It was Carter who told them where to find Daken."

Fury sighed and shook his head, stopping in front of Coulson who was already waiting for him at the car and gave him a look that spoke volumes. "Just say it already…"

"You screwed up royally, sir!" Coulson and Natasha said at the same time and while the first opened the door for Fury, the latter sat down on the passenger seat.

**As promised: the next chapter before I take off to London. I so hate flying. D: I hope everything will go well and that my friend and I will have a save trip. : ( Please, leave a review and let me know what you think! It would be great, if it were between 6-10 again, because I always appreciate what you think. The next chapter will, as someone wished for, introduce someone from Jean's past. So, keep your fingers crossed for the flight. It's almost 1 a.m. here and I need to get up in 3 hours. -.- Anyone going to London Comic Con? Review, please! Take care!**


	37. Important AN

**A/N:**

**Changes will be on a hiatus for a while. I don't know for how long.**

**I have too many problems at the moment that I don't feel like writing. Those of you that follow me on Facebook now that I went to see 30 Seconds to Mars in Cologne on Sunday, and that some idiot hit my car past midnight on the highway while he was speeding and supposedly "didn't see me" (well, duh, when you are speeding, idiot!). If I didn't have a really good and fast reaction, he would have totally pushed me towards the middle and far left lane and I would have been hit by several cars and trucks.**

**My car is now a constructive total-loss (while his will be back running in two weeks…). The car is the last memory of my dad and I have been driving it for 10 years now. The car was like new and everyone was always impressed in what a great shape a car from 1996 can be. I'm pretty bummed by this and don't really know what to do next. I want MY car back and hope that a friend of my cousin will be able to repair it. At the same time I'm only allowed to keep the borrowed car for 14 days. No idea how I'm supposed to get to work afterwards. My boss wasn't too happy with me missing out yesterday too… Thanks to that idiot my cervical spine, which was finally better after three years suffering from aftereffects of two whiplashes, is making problems again too and is hurting. **

**So as you can see: I don't feel like writing at all and can't concentrate or put up happy-sappy chapters. I'm not happy right now, far from it, so I can't write something that I don't feel.**

**I thank those that reviewed the last chapter and I'm grateful for the support. I hope you won't mind waiting for a while. I'm sorry.**

**Take care!**

**Daniela**


	38. Epilogue 12

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 12**

_At some point in the future…_

Hidden by the shadows a man with startling green eyes and black hair watched how a group of four left the club on the opposite side of the street. They were laughing. The girl with the long black hair, mocha-colored skin and blue eyes was linking arms with the blond-haired and blue-eyed adolescent to her left. He knew that her skin color was actually ink-blue and her eyes yellow, a trait she had inherited from her father and grand-mother. But he hadn't come for them. His interest were in the man, who looked exactly like him and who was currently slightly leaning towards the handsome young adult to his right. Only very attentive eyes would have noticed the brief brush of hands and the knowing glances they exchanged. Green eyes met chocolate-brown ones and while the skin was a shade darker in mocha now, also he actually possessed ink-blue skin that changed between both colors depending on the light.

The man watched how they walked down the streets, past the illuminated and colorful windows. He knew their aim was the black SUV a few blocks further down the street, knew that it was his twin's turn to drive and he also knew that their lives would change completely before they were even four blocks down the road. His eyes darted aside as his companion shifted his position while leaning against the wall to his right. He needed silence, wanted to concentrate on what would happen, even though he could cite every single second of it. Sticking to the shadows, he began to follow them, constantly watching from the opposite side of the street, knew that his companion was following him silently. Block 1, they would pass the small pizza place that was still open and the blond would suggest grabbing a bite before they would head home. His twin and handsome friend waved off, knowing that the blond only said it to be able to have some alone time with the black-haired girl. So they would agree to meet at the car. Block 2, they would walk past it, laughing, smiling and making plans for the next day all the while their hands or shoulders kept on brushing against each other _accidentally_. Between block 2 and 3 the handsome, darker-skinned man would check his surroundings, making sure no one was close by before he would pull the green-eyed young man into the alley to steal a quick kiss and cop a feel. They would exchange sweet nothings before they would leave the alley to head for the car again. Reaching block 3, with only 1 more block to go, the green-eyed man would search his pockets for the car keys, completely oblivious to his companion bumping into another man, who sported a FOH sign on his jacket, and who would continue his way up the street after a murderous glare at the mocha-skinned man. It wouldn't be before his friend whispered his name that his twin would turn around with a smile that would quickly change into a horrified look, as he would see the blood gushing out of the stab wound. His twin would drop the car keys and jump forward to catch the fall of his collapsing friend, who would be dead before he had even hit the ground. He knew the man had severed the abdominal aorta with one smooth hit and that his twin, who was clutching his dead friend to his chest, begging him to open his eyes, was in too much agony to realize that he would soon wreak havoc on his surroundings by unleashing his powers accidentally. His twin sighed as he watched exactly all of this happening in this order, knew it was foolish to hope that something would be different this time, but woke up from his dream the moment his twin let out a gut-wrenching cry and the wave of destruction followed soon afterwards.

"How many more times do you want to see this? Why are you doing this to yourself?!" his companion asked and stepped out of the shadows, his mid-length black hair hanging wild into his handsome face, while amber eyes looked at him questioningly.

He looked at him, his eyes tracing the high cheekbones, snub nose and large amber eyes, once more surprised how little they had in common except for the same shape of mouth that they had inherited from their father. "Crazy, huh…?" he asked sadly and his eyes returned once more to his twin, who was refusing to let go of his friend, even though the blond and the black-haired girl were trying to force him to.

"Yes! It is crazy," his brother replied and shook his head. "Why don't you simply change it, Jamie? Why come back here and watch the same thing happening over and over again?! To what purpose?!"

"I can't change it and you know it, Jake…," Jamie replied sadly, his eyes fixed on his twin.

"You can…"

"No, I can't!" he insisted and turned to look at him. "Your nephew will never be born…"

Jake sighed and shook his head before he looked at the scene too. "You're so full of shit…"

"Well, thank you," Jamie snapped.

"No, you are!" his brother insisted. "You could save him and still have your son. Did that thought ever occur to you?"

Jamie huffed. "I can't…"

"Why not?" Jake interrupted him. "Why? Go and explain it to them! He will understand!"

"And what if he won't? I know I wouldn't," Jamie insisted and reached out to support himself against the wall, feeling the pull as Jake took them back.

"It's for you to decide, brother, but I certainly won't take you back there so that you can be miserable!" he snapped as they were standing in front of the mansion in their present time again. "You can either go on and see him die over and over again, be miserable for the rest of your life, which, if I may remind you, will be a very, very long one," Jake went on with a hard look on his face. "Or you finally grow some balls and try to change time! Screw your whole rules about alternating timelines shit. I certainly have enough!" With that he turned and stalked over to the mansion, leaving Jamie to stand in the garden.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, then looked up at the sky and the stars. "Help me out here…," he whispered and waited for a reply that wouldn't come. Sighing, he ran a hand over his face and walked slowly back over to the mansion. He entered through the back door and went straight to his room where he let himself fall on his bed next to the window. His eyes stared at the bluish walls, his head resting on his folded hands while he thought about what he had seen. The pressure in his chest soon became unbearable and he sat up with a sigh, his green eyes staring at the dark garden. What should he do? He kept on pondering and always came to the same conclusion: he couldn't have one without losing the other… Jamie's eyes fell on his Sony mobile to his right and, without thinking about it long, he took it and dialed the familiar number. It didn't take long for someone to answer.

"Hey."

"Hey, are you home?" Jamie asked, chewing on his bottom lip.

"Yes. Is something up?" He sounded worried.

"No, I just…" Jamie sighed. "I need to talk to you…"

"Alright. I'm here." A click announced the disconnection and Jamie also put the phone away. He then proceeded to concentrate on the place he wanted to be at, his eyes and body glowing before he suddenly found himself standing in front of a tall glass building, an apartment complex in Québec that he was too familiar with. He made his way over and pushed the familiar button on the panel to his right. It only took a moment before he was buzzed in and could head for the elevator. After reaching the 35th floor, he stepped out of it and found himself standing in the familiar living room with its wooden floor, that had a huge TV on the white wall to his right and an interior that looked worth its money. Despite all of this it had always looked cozy to him.

"That was fast," a silky and smooth voice addressed him to his left and Jamie turned, returning the smile he was receiving of his eldest brother, who was dressed in low-hanging blue jeans, a simple white shirt that hugged his body tight and was barefoot. Daken hugged him and looked him over. "So, what's the matter?" he asked and beckoned him to sit down on the white lounge across from the TV. While Jamie sat down, Daken poured them some soda and joined him, his chocolate-brown eyes on him. As soon as his younger brother had entered the apartment he had taken notice of the upset state he was in. It was easy for him to guess why. "Tommy," he said matter-of-factly and received a nod. "You went to watch him die again." Again a statement without a question.

Jamie scoffed. "Did Jake call you?"

"No, you're easy to read, that's all," Daken replied and put his drink on the glass table, then leant back. "Why are you doing this to yourself? It's been three years…"

Jamie stared at the glass in his hand first before he put it away and got up to walk over to the large window. The usually so breathtaking view over Québec's skyline did nothing for him right now. He didn't care. Green eyes simply stared into the darkness of the night without seeing anything for real. Jamie didn't realize he had been staring before he felt someone touching his shoulder. He startled and turned around, his vision blurry.

Daken sighed and pulled him into a hug, allowing his younger brother to cry on his shoulder. He looked up briefly as the front door was opened and closed, then waited a moment before the younger man had calmed down enough to listen to him. "If you suffer so much, why don't you just go back and warn him?" he demanded to know and let go of Jamie, who wiped his eyes and heaved a deep breath. "Tell him what will happen, tell him what else is at stake."

"I can't. He wouldn't understand…," Jamie sighed and ran both hands through his ebony hair.

"How do you know he wouldn't understand?" Jean-Paul asked and handed him a stronger drink asked, startling Jamie, who hadn't heard or noticed the speedster coming through the front door. "Did you ask him? No. You don't need to sleep with her in order to make sure your son will be born. Go back, warn them, tell them what will happen and let them also know what happened afterwards!"

Daken nodded. "He's right. There are other ways to ensure that your son will be born. Trust me, he will understand!"

Jamie sighed and downed his drink, feeling the burn of it down his throat while he stared out of the window once more. Would he understand? What if he wouldn't? There was simply too much at stake for him. "What would you do in my situation?" he asked Daken with a nod at Jean-Paul. "If it was him?"

Daken exchanged a look with his husband. "Then I'd go and warn him. There is no point in being miserable forever, if you can change it!"

"I agree," the speedster nodded and reached out to put his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "I already called the mansion. You can stay here for tonight."  
"Thank you…," Jamie said and gave him a small smile. "Will it be okay with your kids?"

"Don't worry about them," Daken waved off. "Kaz is still at college and won't come home before the next holidays. Lin is staying over at a friend's house and Shinji always sleeps like a log."

"Wonder who he got this from…," Jean-Paul muttered and grinned as he received a look before he set off to prepare the guest room. Soon afterwards they went to bed and the speedster and feral were not surprised to find a single piece of paper on the guest bed that had two quickly scribbled words on it: _Thank you!_

Back at the mansion, Jake was still deeply asleep as someone touched his shoulder and began to shake him awake. He growled and turned around, burying his face in his pillow, but the annoying shaking wouldn't stop. He cursed and opened his eyes slowly. "What?!" he grunted and groaned as he realized who it was. "My answer is NO!"

"Just this one last time!" Jamie begged.

"NO!" Jake insisted and got up, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Please, Jake!"

"I told you no, Jamie. I'm not going to bring you back again." His eyes narrowed as his younger brother came closer and took his hands into his. He couldn't recall a single time that Jamie had looked so desperate.

"One. Last. Time!" Jamie repeated and held Jake's gaze until the man groaned and finally agreed. He got dressed and faced Jamie again, holding his hands as he teleported them back through time. He hated that alley they ended up in. He had lost count by now how often they had landed here, how often he had stood aside and watched his brother watching himself. He hated seeing him being hurt and miserable. So he took his usual place again and leant back against the cold brick wall, watched how the door to the club opened and the group stepped out of it, laughing and joyful. He knew how this would end, knew that this wouldn't be _the last time_ as Jamie had promised. He watched Jamie's younger version, TJ, Tommy and Alex for a brief moment. Shaking his head, he looked up at the dark sky and its stars, wondered if there was anything he could do to break this awful cycle. As something moved to his left he looked quickly aside and frowned as Jamie suddenly crossed the street and headed over to the group. He let go of the wall and walked over to the curb, watching his brother talking to his younger self. The shocked looks of the group would have been worth a picture, if the situation hadn't been so serious. After a couple of minutes Jamie jogged back over to him and nodded. "Thank you. I'm done here."

"Wanna tell me what changed your mind all of a sudden?" Jake asked, but Jamie only smiled as he took his hand and was pulled back to their time. He soon found himself standing in Jake's room again, his heart bursting in his chest.

"If you faint, I won't catch you! Now get out. I need my beauty sleep," Jake mocked and shoved him out of the door and into the living room.

Heaving a deep breath, Jamie went over to his room and opened the door. He slipped into the dark room, his eyes immediately darting to the small bed at the far left of the room. His heart leaped as he spotted the 2 year old in it, sleeping peacefully with his favorite teddy in his arm. Jamie tucked him back and looked at him lovingly before he turned and stopped dead in the tracks, his heart racing horribly. His eyes never left the sleeping figure in his bed as he walked slowly over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Was he asleep? Had he fainted and was in fact lying on the floor in Jake's room? Or was his mind simply playing a mean trick on him? Carefully, he reached out and touched the black hair, shocked to feel the texture underneath his fingertips. A chocked cry escaped him and he tried to stifle it, his hands covering his mouth quickly. After he got rid of his shoes and jacket he lay down, his arms immediately pulling his companion close as he cuddled up to him and inhaled his scent.

"'s everything alright…?" Tommy mumbled and Jamie uttered a chocked, happy laugh.

"Everything's alright now."

**I wanted to give you something different for a chance. Hope, it worked out and you liked it. Thanks to all reviewers! Please, let me know what you think and leave a review!**


	39. Epilogue 13

**Author's note: **Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter! : )

**I take my time to write this for you, so be so fair and leave a review! Even if it's a short one! ;)**

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**Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!**

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**Changes Sequel – III. War + Epilogue – Epilogue Part 13**

Jean tried not to look too bored while the Senator was still speaking. A look at her mobile phone and she sighed. That man could even beat Deadpool… The room in the Capitol was filled with men and women alike, only few seats empty and most of them looked equally bored. According to the schedule Hank would be up next and she decided to call home for the time being. Excusing herself, she stood up and left the room with her mobile in hand. Outside, she looked for a quiet place and had her finger already on speed dial as someone called her name. Confused, she turned around and her eyes widened.

"Long time no see," a man, dark-haired with blue eyes and in his mid-forties, said and kissed her cheek surprisingly. "I wasn't sure it was you in the hotel, but I must say I'm glad it was." He smiled, showing off his even teeth and Jean blushed, flustered.

"Donovan… I'm…surprised," Jean muttered and put a strand behind her ear, swallowing hard. She looked at him more closely. The years had definitely been kind to him. He still looked youthful and attractive, a fact that he definitely knew. "How long has it been?"

He shrugged and buried his hands in his pockets. "Class of 1999. What did you do after college? I know you're a doctor know, but…"

"I'm a teacher actually… And a medic," she replied, adding "And a mutant powerful enough to turn the whole building to ashes in a blink of an eye" mentally.

"You look beautiful," he threw her off and chuckled as she looked away, blushing. He suddenly searched for something in his inside pocket and handed her a card after writing something on it. "Meet me at the hotel bar at 8, okay? I've gotta go!" he kissed her cheek quickly, smiled at her dazzlingly and jogged down the corridor, leaving her to stare after him.

As on cue her phone vibrated. "Yeah?"

"Everythin' okay?" Logan asked concerned and Jean swallowed nervously.

"Uhm, yeah. Why are you asking?" she asked and bit her lower lip, her heart pounding as if he had caught her in bed with someone else.

"I felt agitation over our link." She could tell he was shrugging, even though she couldn't see him doing it. "Yer fine then?"

"No, I'm boring my butt off," Jean sighed and ran a hand through her hair, hearing him chuckle. "Not funny!"

"Well… If I wasn't busy takin' care of nine kids right now, I'd text ya some distractions."

She smiled. "And I can already imagine what that would be." Her smile widened as she heard him laughing. "Why nine?"

"Our kids, my grandkids 'n Akihiro's still here too."

"How is he?"

"I dunno… Sleepin' a lot," Logan told her and sighed. "I miss ya…"

"I miss you too. I can't wait to be back home in three days," she said and looked at her watch. "Hank should be up now. That is if that blabbermouth is finally done."

Logan laughed. "Deadpool's there?"

"His twin for sure. I've got to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Sure thing. Love ya 'n be careful!"

"Don't worry. I will. Love you too." She hung up and went back inside, just to groan inwardly. Deadpool Jr. was still talking and boring the masses.

Much later, way past six, she sat in a taxi next to Hank who didn't seem too happy about the day.

"It's a shame. I had such a nice speech and thanks to the Senator I had to cut mine short. Terrific…," he sighed and put his hand-written speech into his inside jacket pocket. He smiled as she patted his hand. "How boring was his speech for you?"

"Very… I was this close to take Logan up on his offer."

He frowned, but smirked. "Do I want to know more?" he teased her. "But I know what you mean. Today was a complete waste of time and I also can't wait to get back home. Giving up the Mutant Affairs job was the right decision. I'm afraid there is some hate brewing right in the Senate."

"I'm afraid you're right…," Jean replied and looked outside the window. It was already dark and the lights were bright in the city. Her eyes darted towards her watch and her heart began to pound once more. Should she go and meet Donovan? Or should she ignore his invitation and finding an excuse in case she ran into him again? But then again, there was no harm in meeting an ex, was it?

"Any plans for the evening?" Hank asked her and she startled awake.

"Uhm, no. No. You?" she asked and took the hand he offered to help her out of the taxi.

"Calling my wife, reading my book, building paper planes out of my speech," he listed and smiled. "I'll probably head to bed early. Tomorrow will be another long day of listening to meaningless speeches, instead of focusing on the important topics."

"I'm afraid so," Jean nodded and followed him to the elevator. After reaching their floor they wished each other a good night and went to their respectable rooms. Inside, Jean went straight to the bathroom to freshen up, her eyes looking tired from a long day of sitting and listening. While she brushed her hair she updated the Professor mentally. Afterwards, she called home to talk to her children and Logan again. Her eyes fell on the clock and she realized that it was almost eight. It wouldn't do any harm to talk to an old friend, ex or not, she decided and grabbed her purse to head for the bar on another level. The room was more crowded than she would have expected. Most of the guests, as she quickly figured out, had been at the Senate and, as she secretly hoped, were now drowning their boredom in alcohol. There was no way anyone of them considered the Senator's speech as remotely interesting. She sat down on a free stool at the bar and ordered a cocktail, sipping on it while watching the news on TV.

"You came," a deep and charming voice behind her said after a while and she turned to be greeted with another surprise-kiss to the cheek. "You still look beautiful after such a long day. How do you do it?" Donovan smiled and sat down on the free stool next to her, quickly ordering a whisky. He took a sip and looked at her from aside, intently.

Feeling uncomfortable, Jean avoided his gaze on purpose. "So what have you been up to in the past years?" she asked and listened to him listing all of his achievements after college in neat order, never mentioning a wife or children once. To keep him talking and his thoughts occupied she began to ask random questions, some which he gladly answered.

After she had her second cocktail and he his third drink Jean decided to call it a night. Of course, he insisted on accompanying her and so she found herself stuck with him on a way to slow ride with the elevator. While she remained frozen on the left side of the small cabin and kept her eyes on the red numbers, he stood on the opposite side first, but then suddenly right next to her and pressing his body against her. Too surprised she hardly noticed his erection first as he crushed his lips against hers and pushed her against the cabin's wall.

"You're even hotter than back then, Jean," he groaned and let a hand roam. "I wonder if you're still as fiery in bed." He stumbled backwards as she gave him a hard push all of a sudden, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Stop this, Donovan!" Jean warned him and, despite her cool exterior, was shaking.

"Why, baby?" he asked and invaded her personal space once more. "Let's work off some stress for old time's sake."

"I said no! I'm happily married and I've no interest in you!" She slipped quickly through the opening doors and headed for her room. A hiss escaped her as he grabbed her arm too hard, the alcohol evident on his breath.

"So? A husband is a reason, but no obstacle. C'mon, Jean! You always were a good lay and we had fun," he grinned and was about to kiss her again as an invisible force pushed him backwards.

"Good bye, Donovan!" Jean said coolly and opened the door to her room.

"You're a filthy mutant?!"

That made her freeze on the spot, her eyes wide. She turned her head slowly and found him standing right next to her, his face a mask of barely contained fury and disgust.

* * *

_In the Future…_

The knocks on the door and the calling of names were left unanswered so that the only option was to open the white door and step inside. Hazel eyes got quickly used to the dark and a smile became visible on Logan's face as his grandson looked up at him with large green eyes. Joshua was peacefully sucking on his pacifier and playing with his teddy, smiling at him as Logan reached out to pull him carefully up. "Hey, kiddo. Already awake 'n yer daddy's still sleepin', huh?" he whispered and kissed the side of the boy's head that was covered in a shock of black hair that stuck up in every possible and impossible direction. "How about helpin' wakin' him up?" He then turned towards the larger bed at the window in which Jamie lay cuddled up to Tommy and was holding him close. "Sleepyhead…" Logan shook his head and touched his son's shoulder, shaking him while saying his name repeatedly. It took a while, but Jamie began to stir and rub his eyes.

"Whut…?" he mumbled and blinked repeatedly, somewhere in his consciousness realizing that it was his father who stood in front of him. He heaved a deep breath, turned around and buried his face in the crook of Tommy's neck. "Five more minutes…," he muttered and Logan groaned, finally pulling the duvet off the bed.

"Get up! Or Tommy will miss his finals," Logan grunted and counted backwards to five in his head before Jamie leaped up.

"Shit!" the young man cursed and nearly fell out of bed as he reached for his mobile phone, nearly knocking it off the bedside table. It was way past 8 and, if he remembered correctly, Tommy had told him about his final exam starting at 9:30. He quickly turned and began shaking his boyfriend, who uttered displeased sounds. "Baby, you need to get up! C'mon, you're running late!" he said urgently and used his teke to bring Tommy up and into a sitting position.

"I'm awake…," the mocha-skinned man mumbled and rubbed his eyes. "Way to start the morning, Jamie…"

"You need to get ready!" Jamie said and got up to pull his sweatpants on. "Your exam is in one and a half hour!"

"Teleporter!" Tommy mumbled into the pillow after letting himself fall backwards again.

Jamie shook his head and went over to Logan to take Joshua from him. "We'll be right there. Thanks, dad!" He kissed his son on the cheek with a smile.

"Ya sure?" Logan asked, arms crossed and nodded at Tommy, who was snoring lightly again.

Jamie groaned and rolled his eyes.

"GET UP!" he exclaimed and sent his boyfriend out of the bed with a flick of his wrist.

"Alright! Alight!" Tommy cried and rubbed the spot on his head with which he had banged against the bedside table. "I'm up!" He stood up, still rubbing the sore spot, glaring at Jamie playfully. "Mean boyfriend…"

"Whatever," Logan grunted. "Hurry up!" He left and went back downstairs.

Jamie balanced his son on his arm and smirked at Tommy, who came slowly closer and yawned. "I go and make breakfast. Hurry up!" he grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"It was yesterday when you went back to warn me, wasn't it?"

Jamie froze on the spot and turned around, a visible frown on his face. "W…what?!" he stuttered.

Tommy shrugged and crossed his arms before he leant against the doorframe. "Jake and you were suddenly gone, so I figured that was the day when you went back to warn me of that FOH-guy…," he said and looked at his boyfriend, whose eyes were wide in shock. "I'm right, am I not?"

Jamie nodded and looked at his son briefly. "Yeah…"

"I figured that much…"

"I didn't think you'd remember."

"Of course I do!" Tommy insisted and went over to cup Jamie's cheek and make him look at him. "You saved my life. Of course I remember." He returned the smile he was given and kissed him. "So…is your…timeline okay again?" he asked and was surprised when Jamie shook his head. "Why not?"

"For you it's the normal timeline. The timeline you remember and have lived through," Jamie explained. "It's the same for everyone else, except Jake and me. For us it's a different timeline. We still remember the past three years without you."

"So you don't remember anything we did in the past three years?!" Tommy asked and Jamie shook his head. "Timelines are way too complicated for me…"

"Hence why you major in art and literature," Jamie teased him and received a playful glare as Tommy went past him.

"Not everyone can be as smart as you, mister I-graduated-college-at-sixteen-with-summa-cum-laude!"

"True. So be grateful to have such a smart boyfriend," Jamie nodded playfully. "Now hurry up or you will never graduate!"

"Yes, mom." Tommy saluted and disappeared in the bathroom, leaving a thoughtful Jamie behind who wished he could remember the past three years as the same as everyone else.

"Food!" Joshua suddenly cried and woke him from his daydream.

"Sure. Sorry, sweety," Jamie apologized and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

_The Present…_

Logan switched off the phone after Jean had disconnected the call and put it on the table in front of him. He then took the file from the table and looked through it for the third time.

"Nine kids, huh? And you're still alive?" Clint asked while he looked around the room like a hawk. His eyes came to rest on the husky and wolf, who were both staying close to the heater while the couch was occupied.

"It ain't that hard, if the kids're well-behaved," Logan grunted absentmindedly, switching a page and reading through it. "So do we have any lead?"

"We think we might. But we're not sure," Cap shrugged and looked up when one of the doors opened. He watched the figure leaving the bedroom and entering the bathroom, just to come out of it a few seconds later again. He would have never thought it could ever be said about the person, but Daken looked like shit and like a walking corpse.

"Ya ain't getting' painkillers or anythin' remotely close t'it," Logan grunted without looking up from the file.

Cap watched how Daken's head connected with the doorframe before he went slowly back to the bedroom and shut the door behind him. "He looks like hell. What happened to him?" he asked genuinely concerned and met Logan's eyes. He couldn't tell if it was anger, worry or a strange mix between that lay inside the hazel pools.

"Ya really wanna know?"

Cap nodded. "He looks like one of those characters Clint likes to watch."

"You mean _The Walking Dead_," Barton chimed in. "They look better actually."

"So what happened? And why are half of his arms covered in bandages?" the blond asked and Logan threw the file on the table with a heavy sigh.

"He got high on some drugs 'n slashed his wrists. His healin' factor's still screwed up thanks t'the Carbonadium Romulus made him swallow 'n whatever he took got him addicted instantly." Logan started at Cap, who looked back at him agape. "So I assume he looks exactly how he feels. Ratty as hell."

"He tried to commit suicide?!" Tony asked flabbergasted, but Logan shrugged.

"I've no idea what's goin' on in his head. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. he ain't the same."

Tony turned to Steve. "Didn't your sweetheart say he looked worse when you freed him than after the torture beforehand?"

"Yes, Carter did and she's not my sweetheart!" Cap insisted upon which Barton chuckled. "She's not!"

"Yeah, yeah, we got it," Tony waved off, smirking still. "Funny as it is, there are 7 hours missing on the surveillance tapes because someone switched the cameras off. And now guess the exact point of those 7 hours!"

"End of torture, beginnin' of execution," Logan grunted and received a nod. "Well, he ain't talkin'."

"Also not to Northstar?!" Cap asked.

"He's in Canada for some job," the feral replied.

"Already?! Wasn't he badly injured?"

"Jean set his broken bones back together. He heals fast." Hearing something on the balcony, Logan turned his head into this direction. He wasn't surprised to see said speedster coming through the unlocked door.

"Where's the idiot?" the Quebecois asked and Logan nodded into the direction of the bedroom door. "How bad?" Jean-Paul asked as he walked towards it.

"Pretty bad. He ain't talking. Did Moira brief ya?"

"Yeah, no painkillers, no pills, nothing only remotely medicine-like since she doesn't know, yet, what was in those drugs he took," Jean-Paul cited the doctor as he reached for the door handle. "To be honest… Let him suffer!" he added and disappeared behind the door, closing it behind him. His steel-blue eyes immediately found the feral, who lay curled up on Logan's bed and looked back at him through pained and weary eyes. "I'll talk and you'll listen, understood?" the speedster began and sat down on the bed, his eyes on Daken, who was shaking heavily, his skin hot and a sheen of sweat covering it. "The last time you pulled this stunt, you promised me that you wouldn't do it again. Ever!" he began through gritted teeth, hardly able to contain his anger. "I'm gone for not even a few hours and you do not only get high on drugs, you also slash your wrists again! What the hell is wrong with you?! Hiro, what did they do to you that you are self-destructing so much?" he asked and kept his eyes on his husband, who avoided his gaze immediately after the question. Frustrated, he ran a hand through his ebony hair and reached out to carefully take one of Daken's hands into his. "What I'm saying now is not a request, okay? So listen carefully!" he said and Daken looked up again. "Lin's mom comes over for a couple of days. I called her after I received the call from the Professor. She's a psychologist and psychiatrist…" He sighed as the feral withdrew his hand immediately upon hearing this. „Hiro… You need help! I can't provide this help anymore. I'm not a therapist. No one here is. I don't know what to do to help you anymore. The Professor told me that he has no idea what else he could do to help you either. I want you to sit down with Kelly and talk to her," he waited a moment and wasn't impressed the slightest that Daken gave him a look of betrayal. "I can't do this anymore, Hiro. Try to sit down with her, talk to her or else I take the children and I'm gone. You know yourself what it's like to grow up without a complete family, so don't do this to our kids. They need us both! I love you, but I can't watch you self-destructing again. I want us to have a future together…, as we promised each other in the last battle." He took his hand again and looked at him pleadingly. "Please, just get over your huge ego and don't throw us away just because you think you can handle this alone. You can't obviously… I do whatever it takes to help you get better, no matter how long it will take, but I can't do this without professional help. I love you, so please think about what I just said and decide." He got up and left the room, joining the group at the table in the living room. His thoughts, while they were talking about the case, were elsewhere though.

"We should wait and see if Fury finds out more. Almost every agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is looking for this guy. A shapeshifter is impossible to locate, so we might not find him before he decides to blow the next building up," Cap said and sighed. "Actually, he didn't try to place a bomb here. He placed one at every other HQ except yours and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s."

"He needs to get on the hellicarrier first, place the bomb and get off the hellicarrier again. Who would be stupid enough to even consider attacking it?" Barton asked and received looks from Tony and Cap. He gulped, knowing what they were thinking. "Hey, Loki controlled me, okay?"

"No excuse, birdie," Tony mocked. "But Clint's right. I doubt that guy would be insane enough to…" He paused as his phone vibrated. "Talking about the devil…," he muttered and answered the phone.

Logan could clearly hear Carter's voice through the speaker and frowned at what he heard. To him the whole thing didn't make any sense. His eyes darted to the side where Jean-Paul was sitting in an armchair and staring off into space. He had listened in to what the speedster had told his son and could tell how hard the decision must have been on him. All of a sudden he could hear shouting in the background of Carter and his eyes wandered back to Tony, who was holding the phone at arm length and was pulling a face.

"Thank you, now I'm deaf!" he complained and was now talking to Fury. "Why don't you tell him that yourself? He's sitting right next to me!"

"Tell'im I heard it 'n that he can screw himself!" Logan grunted and crossed his arms. "Just because someone looks like my son doesn't mean that he's my responsibility!" He froze as the link he shared with Jean was suddenly tingling and a wave of negative emotions hit him.

"What's wrong?" Clint asked as Logan reached for the phone and hit speed dial. He exchanged a look with Cap, who shrugged and turned his gaze as the bedroom door was slowly opened and Daken came out, who made his way over to Northstar who was watching him thoughtfully.

Cursing, Logan hit speed dial once more and, after no one answered the phone, called Hank. Out of the corner of his eyes he watched how Daken stared at the speedster for a moment and finally barely nodded before he slumped down on Jean-Paul's lap, hugging him back and burying his face in the curve of the man's neck. "I don't care what time it is or that I woke you up, Furball!" Logan snapped. "Go and check up on Jean. Somethin's wrong 'n I can't reach her by phone. Yeah, I mean NOW!"

* * *

"Calm down, Logan, will you?" Hank cursed and got reluctantly up, not bothering to put on a shirt. He left, phone attached to his ear, the room and headed down the corridor and turned left. "I see her. She looks fine and is talking to some guy."  
"What _guy_?! Who is he?!" Logan immediately asked and Hank heaved a deep breath.

"I don't know, Logan. Tall, dark hair, handsome and he looks like a congress man," he told his friend and narrowed his eyes in the next second. "No, Logan, I will definitely NOT go over and ask who he is. I will go to sleep now. Good night!" He disconnected the call and switched off his phone. From where he was standing, he had a good view on the man and Jean and he was about to turn as he saw how the stranger grabbed for Jean, who pushed him away with her powers. He knew she could easily handle herself, but as he heard how the man called her _filthy mutant _he had to act and went over to them. "Is something wrong, Jean?"

The man's icy glare hit him instantly. "McCoy your husband?" he asked and snorted. "Mutant scum!"

"I think it's better you go now, Donovan!" Jean hissed and made a step back.

"Gladly! I don't want to get my hands dirty on scum like you," he replied, smirking cruelly and loosened his tie further. As he turned, Jean saw something flash up around his neck and her heart began to pound. She watched him retreating with wide eyes. At the elevator he stopped and glared at her again. "Since you know him I assume you also live in that mutant school in Westchester? Better go back. We don't want anyone to get hurt, right?" He smiled and entered the elevator, leaving a pale Jean to stare after him.

"What was this about?" Hank asked and touched her shoulder, making her jump. Jean looked at him with wide eyes. "What?" Hank asked, confused. "Who was that guy?"

"Donovan Zane. I met him in college. He's FOH. I saw their signature mark on that chain around his neck," she told him and tried to catch her breath.

"You know someone who is with _Friends of Humanity_?!"

"I didn't know up till now that he was…"

Hank looked at her more closely. "Did you have a thing with him? Your lipstick is smeared…" Before Jean could reply her phone was ringing again. "You should better answer. It's Logan. He felt something through that link of yours and he's worried. Goodnight!" the furry mutant said disappointedly and went back to his room, leaving Jean completely flabbergasted and staring after him.

**What's up with all the 13s? It's Friday the 13****th**** 2013 and I post Chapter 13 that has 13 pages in Word. O.o For that I like 13 reviews. LOL Anyway, REVIEW, please and I will try to update soon again! Thanks to those that left a review for the last chapter! : ) See ya!**


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